A Different Kind of Patient
by LookAnotherNote
Summary: Modern AU: Christine Daae works at a hospital as nurse where she meets a very intriguing patient.
1. Chapter 1

Raoul Chagny walked out of the elevator and toward the conference room on the 5th floor of the hospital. He was always nervous before meetings; most everyone that worked for him was older and more experienced in the field. Raoul's parents were preparing to retire and were going to leave him in charge of the hospital along with his older brother Phil. Phil got along well with the rest of the employees and had no trouble holding meetings. Raoul, on the other hand, needed more experience if he was going to be well respected in the hospital. When he walked into the conference room, all of his worries disintegrated as he locked eyes with his fiancé, Christine Daae.

He placed his briefcase on the front table and turned to face the group of doctors and nurses in front of him. Tugging on the jacket of his suit, he started, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," with an air of awkward professionalism in his voice, "I hope your days are off to a wonderful start. Today's meeting will be relatively short, don't worry." Everyone in the room seemed to relax slightly, and Raoul found that speaking became easier. "As many of you know, the hospital has been working on acquiring a research grant. We haven't made many strides in research lately and we would like to change that. In order to receive this grant, we need to actually find something that is worth researching. With that being said, be sure to notify your department heads if you come across any obscure cases in the upcoming weeks. Are there any questions?"

Raoul searched the faces in the room, and none of them seemed overly interested in what he had just said. Attempting to suppress a sigh, he dismissed the meeting and everyone hastily left the room to get back to work. Christine took her time leaving, and approached Raoul when everyone had finally left.

"You're getting much better at holding meetings, Mr. Chagny," she said with a smile, "Next thing you know, everyone will be paying their full attention to you."

Raoul smiled and brushed a piece of hair behind his fiancé's ear, "You're such a sweet talker, Miss Daae. Where will you be working today?"

Christine loved pretending to be professional with Raoul. Their relationship was no secret in the hospital, but they liked to talk as professionals so no one would feel uncomfortable in their presence. "Well, sir, I will be working in the emergency department today," she smiled excitedly. She enjoyed the fast paced atmosphere in the emergency department. It often got very stressful, but she found gratification in helping those in need.

Just as Raoul opened his mouth to continue their conversation, Christine's pager went off. "I guess your expertise is needed, Miss Daae," he said.

"It's nothing too big, just someone who passed out from a migraine. I'll see you at home, darling," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek and hurrying out of the room toward the emergency department.

When she arrived to the room of her patient, she was taken aback at his appearance. He was mystifyingly handsome; a few years older than she, with dark black hair, very light hazel eyes, and an unyielding jawline.

"Mr. Erik Destler?" she asked as she glanced down at his medical chart. He nodded once, not breaking his gaze, as she continued, "How are you feeling?" Christine could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she felt like his eyes were piercing into her soul.

He was sitting up in the hospital bed with his legs fully outstretched and his hands closed together in his lap, an IV hooked up to his left arm. "Please call me Erik," he answered coldly, "And I'm feeling as though I don't really need to be here."

Taken aback by his answer, but not wanting to make him uncomfortable, she quickly answered back to him, "Don't we all." She noticed an amused half-smile creep up onto his face. "I understand that you fainted while experiencing a migraine?"

"That is correct," he answered quickly, with the same coolness in his voice. "I get migraines every once and a while, sometimes they cause me to pass out, and I'm only here because a colleague forced me."

Of course he was stubborn, she thought, the handsome ones were always the most stubborn. "Well, sir, I'm just going to check on your vitals and a doctor will be in shortly and he will probably tell you that you are free to leave."

He kept his eyes locked on her as she walked over and began taking his blood pressure. Christine felt herself becoming clumsy as she started to listen to his heart beat though her stethoscope. It was powerful and even, which was unusual for someone who had just fainted. When she finished with his vitals and informed him that they all looked fine, she looked at his chart again and noticed something peculiar. It was recorded that he had a physical deformity on the right side of his face. Knowing that his eyes were still carefully locked on her, she attempted to nonchalantly glance at him to try and make out his deformity. She became even more confused when she didn't notice that anything was wrong with his face.

She cleared her throat and politely said, "Excuse me, Erik, but your chart says here that you have a physical deformity on your face. Forgive my ignorance, but I don't see anything that indicates a deformity."

The man began to laugh. It was the most transfixing laugh she had ever heard; it was almost musical. "You really don't notice this?" he asked, pointing up at the right side of his face. "Take a closer look."

Christine tentatively stepped closer, and noticed a thin cloth had been covering half of his face. The material was thin enough to not stand out against the uncovered parts of his face, but was thick enough that she could not see what was underneath. There was hole that fit the shape of his light-hazel eye perfectly, and it curved perfectly around the shape of his thin lips. It matched his skin tone, and even had an eyebrow carefully sewn on. She had merely assumed that he had been raising one eyebrow at her the whole time. After studying his face intently, she met his eyes which were holding a sick look of satisfaction.

"I am so sorry sir, I guess I just couldn't tell it was there," she said sheepishly, worried that she might anger him.

The look of satisfaction was quickly washed away and replaced with a look of shock. "You really couldn't tell?" he asked with a genuine tone of surprise in his voice, "This is the first thing most people notice about me." He sounded a little dejected when he said his last comment; Christine could tell that he was self-conscious about this.

She smiled, trying to be friendly, "I really couldn't tell. I was actually more concerned with how handsome you are," she could feel herself blush as she cleared her throat. "Well, sir, the doctor should be in shortly. I hope you're feeling more comfortable." She smiled one last time at him, receiving a satisfied smile from his thin lips, and walked out of the room, ready for her next patient.

She couldn't put the image of Erik out of her mind for the rest of the day. When she walked through the front door of her and Raoul's apartment, thoughts of Erik were still forming clouds around her.

Raoul was making dinner, and she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She placed her head on his back and sighed.

"What's wrong, dear?" he asked, continuing to stir the pasta that was boiling on the stove.

She sighed again and sat down at the table, "Nothing, Raoul. It was just a long day."

He could notice the worried tone of her voice, "Did anything interesting happen?" he asked.

"Well," Christine started, unsure if she should tell Raoul about Erik or not, "My first patient of the day, the one who passed out, he had a facial deformity." Raoul just raised his eyebrows at her, seemingly unimpressed. She continued, "I didn't see it though. He had it covered with a piece of cloth. I could have sworn there was nothing wrong with his face, he looked completely normal to me."

"That's something you don't see every day," Raoul snorted, "A grown man wearing a mask? I wonder if his deformity has anything to do with his migraines."

Christine furrowed her eyebrows, "I don't think so. I think he was born with it; it shouldn't have any effect on his brain."

Raoul seemed intent on finding something else wrong with Christine's patient, "Well, you never know. It might have an effect. Could be something to research," he said almost greedily.

Christine was growing even more annoyed at her fiancé and muttered, "That's all you're ever concerned about."

Raoul finished making dinner and placed a plate in front of Christine. They ate in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Christine silently got out of bed, with Raoul still sound asleep beside her, and tiptoed into the bathroom to shower. She and Raoul had spent the better part of the previous night in silence; they made small talk, but Christine was unable to open up to him like she usually would. After telling him about Erik, Raoul couldn't stop talking about all of the research opportunities that could come of the patient's situation. She felt a growing sense of protection over Erik as Raoul continued to think of ways to use him. The majority of Raoul's ideas were preposterous, so Christine figured that he was just stressed about the grant. Raoul's family was very well off, and he had been able to get things he wanted easily. Christine knew that he would find a way for the hospital to get the research grant even if it meant coming up with some insane medical case.

The thought sickened her, so she quickly got dressed and ate breakfast in time to leave before Raoul woke up. When she arrived at the hospital and looked at the board that told her where she would be working that day, she noticed that she would be spending the entire day in one room. Assuming it was a mistake, she went off to find Dr. Reyer to ask him about it.

"Dr. Reyer!" Christine called as she caught up to him from behind, "I think there's something wrong with the deployment board today," she stated as he raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm supposed to be in room 606 all day today and I was just wondering why."

He handed Christine a medical chart, she looked down and noticed it was Erik's. "He requested that you be his nurse," he said dryly, "He told me that you had a very amiable bed side manner and that he wished for you to be his nurse for the time that he is here. I know it's not your first choice, but we're over staffed today and you worked very hard yesterday. This will be a fairly easy assignment."

Christine was taken aback; no one had ever requested her care before. "Oh, well if that's what he wants then I have no problem doing it," she said to Dr. Reyer, "He was interesting, to say the least."

"Yes, very interesting," Dr. Reyer said with a coy smile. Christine turned to leave and he added, "Be sure to keep your eyes peeled with this one. I have a feeling something good might come of him."

Everyone was obsessed with getting this research grant, Christine was convinced. When she walked into Erik's hospital room on the sixth floor, he was still sitting in the same position he was in the previous day. The hospital gown that he was supposed to be wearing was untouched on the edge of his bed and he was instead wearing a pair of gray slacks and a black dress shirt.

"Good morning, Erik," Christine cheerily greeted him, "How is your head feeling today?"

He straightened up a little when she walked into his room; a small smile began to flirt with the corners of his lips. "Good morning, Christine. I'm glad to see you again, you make being here much more bearable," he paused and then continued as if he hadn't made that comment, "I'm feeling fine today. My head doesn't hurt and I would prefer if I could go home as soon as possible."

Christine couldn't help but smile at him. She always found joy from patients who were fond of her, but there was something different about Erik. His compliments were so genuine and she loved how polite he was. "Well I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better. Have you ever had an MRI done, Erik?" she asked him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I have not, but I don't really see why I need one." His remarks were always so dry, but his voice was incredibly transfixing. Christine was sure she could listen to him talk for hours.

She gave a light laugh, "You sound just like every other patient who doesn't want to have something done. The MRI is just a precaution to make sure there isn't something seriously wrong in your brain that is causing these migraines to occur." Erik sighed and glanced at her with a look of unfortunate acceptance. "You're going to have to put on your hospital gown, and then I'll take you over for the scan."

As Christine walked out of the room and closed the door so Erik could change in private, a look of panic replaced his usually stern demeanor. He was grateful to have been able to keep the dress shirt of his suit on yesterday when he had been admitted, but now he despised the idea of having his thin frame exposed by a hospital gown. Christine had already gotten the inaccurate assumption that he was handsome, and he didn't want to scare her off by making the rest of his body visible; she probably had attractive men fawning over her left and right. He began to undress, unwillingly put on the hospital gown, and awkwardly walked over to open the door.

Christine was used to seeing people in hospital gowns, so she paid no attention to Erik's silly outfit. The only thing she was focused on was how tall he was. It was hard to tell when he was sitting on the bed, but now Christine could see that he was about a foot taller than her 5'5" frame. He seemed to be pleased that she hadn't noticed his outfit, and he gave her a satisfied smile before following her down the hallway for his MRI.

When the two of them entered the room, the radiologist was stricken with surprise at the image of Erik; this strange, tall, skinny, masked man. "Hello, sir," she greeted Erik, "Before we get started I'm going to need you to take that off." She glanced up at the right side of his face with a mixture of confusion and disgust, unsure of what to call the mask without being rude.

Erik tensed up and his upper lip began to twitch. He looked at Christine with a look of anger she had not yet seen in his eyes, but she could remember his self-consciousness from the day before. She was curious as to what was underneath his mysterious mask, but to appease him she quietly said, "I'll wait outside," and backed out of the room.

After several minutes, Erik burst out of the imaging room and made a beeline back toward his hospital room. Whatever had happened during his MRI must have set him off, so Christine quickly followed him. When she reached his room, the door was closed and she knocked out of respect.

"Hold on," Erik boomed from inside. Christine's eyes widened and she was surprised that he could produce a sound of such powerful magnitude. She waited several more minutes and entered the room; Erik was sitting back on his bed, in his usual position, but he had changed back into his regular clothes.

Christine timidly approached him and asked, "Did everything go alright?"

He narrowed his eyes and responded, "It was fine. I just don't like being belittled."

Concerned, Christine hurriedly said, "I am so sorry, Erik. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

Erik, for the first time, broke his stern gaze with Christine and looked down at his hands. After searching for the right words, he finally started, "After you politely left the room and I took the mask off, that woman couldn't stop staring at my face." He looked up at Christine with even more anger and pain in his beautiful eyes, "She talked at me. After I took the covering off she ceased to acknowledge me as a human and instead only acknowledged my deformity, just like everyone else." His chest was now rising and falling faster than it usually had, and all Christine could think about was the even sound of his beating heart.

She was suddenly filled with a care for Erik that she was unable to explain. She sat down in the chair near his hospital bed and covered her mouth in thought. The amount of concern she felt for him was growing by the second, and she couldn't help but say, "Erik, whatever you have under there deserves to be considered as much a part of you as any other part of your body. Honestly, I forgot again today that you wear that covering on your face, but I guess that's just because that's not what I see when I look at you. When I look at you I see this powerful, intelligent man, and you deserve to be treated as such."

Erik was just as surprised at what came out of Christine's mouth as she was. No one had ever treated him with such kindness, and he was forced to clear his throat to fight back the tears that were beginning to taunt his eyes. "Christine, what on earth would give you the idea that I am intelligent and powerful? You hardly know me," he said teasingly.

Christine fought the urge not to blush, "Well, why don't we get to know each other then? I have no other assignments today, so we might as well spend this time waiting for your MRI results talking about something."

Before Christine could start inquiring about Erik's personal life, he quickly asked, "How long have you been working here? It's very rare to see a young woman like yourself already with a steady career and a fiancé in tow." He made a quick, awkward glance at the diamond ring on her finger.

She crossed her arms, attempting to be subtle about the fact that she was trying to hide her engagement ring, "You're very observant, sir," she laughed. "I'm no young woman, though, ever since I got out of college I feel like the years have been flying by. I feel 26 going on 40. I've been working here for almost four years. I graduated with a nursing degree and a minor in music; I couldn't get my hands on any music jobs so my boyfriend's, now my fiancé's, family offered me a job here. They own the hospital."

So many things she had just said were playing with Erik's thoughts. She had musical training, no wonder he had been so drawn to her. "What kind of music did you specialize in?" he asked, completely disregarding the talk of her fiancé.

Christine could tell he was avoiding being the topic of conversation, but she went along with him anyway. "Vocal, mostly. I play a bit of piano, but I've loved singing ever since I was a child." Erik grew more interested as she continued, "I knew the possibilities of being able to make a career in music were very slim, and I decided to go down the nursing route for practical reasons. Helping others gives me an unexplainable joy, and the younger patients love when I sing to them."

Erik was now convinced that her heart was just as beautiful as the rest of her. Those brown curls, hanging well past her shoulders, framed her small, angelic face in such a way that took Erik's breath away each time he saw her. As he fondly gazed at her, he wondered if he would ever be able to hear her sing. Growing uncomfortable in the silence, Christine fidgeted and crossed her arms further, still hiding her engagement ring from view. "Are you unhappy with your fiancé?" Erik asked, finally breaking the silence.

Christine was taken aback and her mouth went slightly ajar, "Excuse me?" she shot back at him.

"I asked if you were unhappy with your fiancé. It's a simple question," he said matter-of-factly. Erik was an expert at reading body language, amongst other things, and he could tell something wasn't right about the way she was hiding her ring from him.

"That's not the kind of question you ask someone you barely know," Christine said sheepishly as she looked down. She had been growing unhappy with Raoul in recent weeks; he had been too preoccupied with his new position at work to pay an acceptable amount of attention to her.

Erik was intent on getting an answer out of her, so he continued to state his observations. "Well, Christine, judging by the fact that you crossed your arms, hiding your engagement ring from plain sight, once you started talking about this fiancé of yours makes me think that you are unhappy. When someone tries to hide their engagement ring, they are either unhappy in their current situation or they're trying to flirt with the person they're hiding it from. I am aware that we barely know each other, but I can tell that you're a kind-hearted soul; you deserve someone who can make you happy every second you are breathing."

Christine was taken aback by the correctness of Erik's statement. She silently accepted to herself that she was both unhappy with Raoul and slightly drawn to Erik. She wasn't trying to flirt with him, but somewhere deep in her subconscious she was greatly interested in him. Quickly pushing those thoughts from her mind, she gave in and finally answered, "I suppose I am little unhappy. My fiancé is going to be taking over the hospital when his parents retire and he has been particularly stressed about it. Stressed to the point where it's all he talks about and it's as if I don't exist. Once he gets more settled it will go away."

A sly smile crept onto Erik's face, which he quickly fought away to keep Christine from getting upset with him. Of course she was unhappy with this man, he probably didn't appreciate her as much as she deserved to be appreciated. He knew he was capable of appreciating her more than any man in the world could. "I'm sorry, Christine, but that man you're betrothed to is no man. No man should put the stress of his career onto the shoulders of the woman he claims to be in love with. If he can't put you first in a time of extreme stress, then he never will."

Once again, Christine quietly accepted the words that Erik had spoken to her. She loved Raoul, but it's hard to love someone when the feeling isn't mutually as strong. She was aware that this was temporary, he had always gotten stressed in college during finals, and that he would eventually come back around to being the man she fell in love with. Taking advantage of being able to change the subject, Christine quickly said, "What do you do for a living, Erik?"

He straightened up a little, "I own the theatre a few blocks away. I moved here from Paris to help build it several years ago with my business partner, Nadir. The two of us designed it and now we both run it."

Christine's interest was heightened. "Oh!" she gasped excitedly, "I've seen a couple shows there; it's gorgeous. What made you want to build a theatre, though?"

A smile crept onto the exposed half of Erik's face. "I studied both architecture and music while I was in Paris. I wanted to create something using my architectural skills that would double as a harbor for my musical skills. I received my MBA to piece it all together so I could run the theatre myself."

"That's amazing," Christine said, clearly impressed at the wide range of knowledge that Erik possessed. "And you've managed to do this all by the age of…" Christine paused, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

Erik laughed nervously, "33. I moved here ten years ago."

He wasn't that much older than her, only seven years. Christine was amazed at how easy talking to him was, she felt as if they had been friends forever. Opening up to Erik was much easier than trying to open to Raoul had been the previous night. The two of them smiled at each other just as Dr. Reyer walked in.

"Mr. Destler?" he said with a few papers in his hands. Erik nodded and he continued, "There has been a problem in processing your MRI results, and I am sorry to say we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to let you know the outcome."

Clearly disappointed and highly aggravated, all Erik said was "Thanks," as Dr. Reyer left. Fortunately Christine still had a few hours left in her shift, and they continued to get to know each other for the remainder of the afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks later, Christine woke up sweating with a pounding headache. It was Friday and she was supposed to be at work in two hours; after taking her temperature and determining that she was indeed sick, she called the hospital to inform them she wouldn't be coming in. Two weeks had passed since she had last seen Erik. When her shift had ended that day, he decided to check himself out in the middle of the night. She had received several frantic phone calls from Dr. Reyer asking where he had gone and why he had decided to leave, but Christine couldn't give him an answer.

She figured he wouldn't be back and she would have to move on and forget the friendship that had begun to blossom between them, but she found herself incapable of doing so. Christine could not get Erik out of her head; the things he had said to her that day about Raoul were forever engraved within her. Raoul was still focused on getting the research grant for the hospital, and he had spent entire days cooped up in his office with Phil as they tried to figure out a way to get the grant. Even when he was home, there wasn't much to talk about between the two of them; the only thing he would talk about was the grant, and whenever Christine tried to talk about an interesting patient she had to tend to, Raoul would tell her he had already heard about it.

Raoul had already left for work by the time Christine woke up. When she sleepily wandered into the kitchen she found a note on the coffee maker, the first thing she went to when she woke up. Raoul may have been emotionally absent recently, but he still knew her all too well. The note read, "Christine, I regret every morning I'm not there for you to wake up to. I had to run into work early, but I can't wait to see you tonight. All my love, Raoul." Christine smiled fondly at the note; maybe the old Raoul would finally start to come back around. She poured herself a cup of coffee and curled up on the couch. After flipping through television channels, she eventually drifted back off to sleep.

Several hours later, Christine woke up feeling much better and fully rested. She was struggling to remember the last dream she had before she woke up; all she could recall was a voice. Nothing else about the dream mattered much to Christine aside from that mysterious voice. She couldn't recall anything it had said to her, just that it was vaguely familiar. She had been having these dreams ever since she had first met Erik, and she couldn't help but think that the voice may have belonged to him. It had the same power as his voice had, and yet it still maintained an equal amount of sensitivity.

In an attempt to shake off the cobwebs of her dream, Christine called her best friend, Meg Giry, to see if she wanted to meet her for lunch. It had been quite some time since she had been able to be out in the city and an equal amount of time since she had last seen Meg. Meg had just gotten a job as a ballet instructor at a studio across from Erik's theatre, and she was very busy within the last week. The two of them decided to meet for lunch at a café near the studio so Meg could show Christine around when they were finished.

Christine was sure she was feeling better, and hoped that being outside in the New York City air would do her good. She walked the few blocks between her apartment and the studio, and found Meg excitedly standing outside waiting for her. Meg had followed her dream of becoming a dance teacher; Christine often found herself envious of the fact that Meg was able to purse what she loved while Christine was stuck having to be practical. She walked over to Meg and embraced her.

"Christine!" Meg squealed as she hugged her tight, "It's been far too long." Meg was an inch or two taller than Christine, but they were built the same. When they were in college together their friends used to joke that they could have been twins. The only difference between the two was their hair color; Christine's curls were brown and Meg's were blonde.

Christine fondly smiled at her friend as she pulled away. "It's so great to see you, Meg," Christine answered back as her friend looked at her with that enormous smile she had gotten to know so well.

Although it was November, it was still relatively nice outside. They decided to sit outside at the very few tables that the café had available. They sat across from each other, and because the café was a short distance from Meg's dance studio and Erik's theatre, Christine had a perfect view of both buildings. The two friends caught up with each other as they ate their lunch, but Christine couldn't help but glance in the direction of the theatre every so often. Every time she admired the beautiful building, thoughts of Erik came swirling back to her. She marveled the building that he took so much time and effort to build. It was taller than most of the buildings around it, and certainly more beautiful.

"Christine, are you ok?" Meg asked, as she noticed her friend begin to lose focus on their conversation again. She knew Christine well enough to know that she wasn't being rude, and there was something on her mind.

In an attempt to escape the thoughts of Erik, yet again, Christine snapped back to reality and embarrassingly looked at Meg. "I'm sorry; I'm a little bit under the weather today. I was feeling fine when I left the apartment, but I think my fever might be coming back."

Whether she was actually sick or not, Meg knew that wasn't the only thing that was wrong with Christine. She had been continuously looking off into the distance during their conversation with a look of longing on her face. Knowing she would get it out of Christine eventually, Meg said, "How has everything at work been? Have you had any interesting patients lately? I love your hospital stories."

Christine laughed as she searched her brain for anything interesting that had happened at work, but she struggled. She hadn't come across anyone as interesting as Erik since she had last seen him. A wild thought hit Christine, and she wondered if Meg had ever heard anything about Erik. She did work right across from him, after all, and perhaps some of the actors from the theatre trained at the dance studio. Sighing, she decided to describe, in full detail, everything about her encounter with Erik. Due to legal reasons, she wasn't allowed to give his name, but she figured Meg would realize who she was talking about once she described his mask.

Meg's eyes continued to widen throughout Christine's story to the point where they were about to pop out of her head. "I know who you're talking about!" Meg exclaimed excitedly, "Erik, he's the owner of the theatre across the street. He rarely ever shows himself, but I remember when the ambulance came to take him to the hospital two weeks ago. The co-owner, Nadir was holding him along with an EMT as they sort of forced him into the ambulance. He's a really tall guy, but they held him down well."

Thoughts of that day came back to Christine once again, and she recalled how Erik had said his colleague had forced him to go to the hospital. He had such a calm demeanor when she talked to him, and she laughed to herself as she thought of him struggling against two other men. "That sounds like Erik," Christine said fondly, "Do you know anything else about him?"

"Well, some of our clients at the studio also perform at the theatre," she said, trying to remember any more details about Erik. "I've heard some pretty interesting things about him. A lot of the girls say that he's a genius, as in an actual genius. He knows basically every language, he's extremely talented, and he built the theatre himself. On the other hand, a lot of the male dancers say he's a mad man just because of that mask he wears. It was certainly striking the first time I saw him."

Of course, Christine thought, more people who associated Erik with his mask and nothing else. She thought fondly of the day she first saw him, when she didn't even know there was a mask on his face. She had even thought that he was handsome when she first saw him. "Meg, I didn't notice the mask on his face when I met him," Christine said sheepishly.

Meg looked at her, puzzled, "Really? How can you not notice it? It covers half of his face!"

"I know," Christine said, "I guess it just wasn't the first thing I noticed about him. I was more focused on how handsome he was." She was shocked at herself for telling this to Meg. She had already been talking to her about how absent Raoul had been, and she didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

Luckily, Meg overlooked what Christine had said and changed the subject, "Do you want to come over to the studio so I can show you around?"

Christine agreed, and they paid for their lunch and walked over to the studio. It was like any regular dance studio with mirrors and ballet bars. Meg went around and excitedly introduced Christine to everyone, and Christine couldn't help but notice how happy her friend looked. She was usually very bubbly, but when she was in the studio with her coworkers, completely in her element, she glowed with happiness. After meeting everyone Meg worked with, Christine decided to leave so she could let her work.

As Christine walked out of the studio, she took one last look at the theatre before making her way back to her apartment. Just as she looked across the street, she watched a strikingly tall man get out of a cab and walk up the steps to enter the theatre. He was dressed in a gray suit, and Christine could see a crease in his black hair where something was pushing up against his head. Suddenly realizing that the man was Erik, Christine called out to him, but he didn't respond.

In a moment of defiance, Christine ran across street, dodging cars along the way, and she shouted Erik's name again. He whirled around to the sight of Christine almost getting hit by a car as she hopped onto the sidewalk in front of the theatre. Erik's face was completely stricken with shock; his light hazel eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was slightly ajar. He towered over her even more as he was still on the stairs, and Christine smiled foolishly up at him, not realizing that she could have been killed.

He slowly walked down the stairs toward her, "What the hell was that?" he asked quietly, but sternly, so only she could hear.

As he towered over her, Christine noticed the same look of anger in his eyes that was there the day the radiologist berated him. "It's good to see you too," she said as she narrowed her eyes and looked up at him playfully. He seemed to back down a little as she continued, "I just wanted to see you. I never got to say goodbye, and I wanted to catch you before you went inside to see if you were alright."

Erik looked at her and shrugged, "Well, I'm still alive." He continued to look at her, but quickly accepted that he would let her win this time; he had missed her, and he was glad that she ran over to see him. Not wanting her to know, he said, "Christine, you could have been killed just now."

Embarrassed, she broke her gaze with Erik and looked at her feet. "I guess I didn't realize that," she said, "I just wanted to see you."

Surprised at what she had said, Erik was at a loss for words and was unsure of how to respond. As elementary as it was, she had crossed a busy street of traffic just because she wanted to see how he was doing. He went back up the stairs and opened the door to the theatre, "Would you like to come in?" He was gesturing into the atrium of the building, and Christine bounced up the stairs and walked inside.

It was just as beautiful as she had remembered from the last time she was there. She followed Erik into an elevator and he pressed the button for the floor that was second from the top. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"To my office," Erik answered. "We can talk there, I need to tell you about something."

When they reached the sixth floor, Erik let Christine get off first, and then he led her down the hallway to a closed door at the very end. There were several other doors on the walk down, so Christine figured that these were all offices. When he opened the door, Christine walked into an enormous room; she was sure Erik's office was the size of her entire apartment. A window took up the entire back wall, and in front of it sat a black L-shaped desk with a luxurious looking chair behind it. A white bookshelf took up half of the wall next to the desk, and there were two black couches facing each other with a white coffee table in between them on the other side of the room.

Erik motioned for Christine to sit down; he walked over to a small refrigerator that had two small glasses on top of it along with a bottle of brandy and a bottle of champagne. "Would you like anything to drink?" he asked her.

Unable to speak, Christine shook her head as she continued to stare around Erik's office. There were fantastic pieces of artwork on the white walls, all of which were held within black picture frames. There wasn't much color in his office, but it was still nicely decorated, and Christine could only imagine what it looked like when the sun was shining into it. He walked over to the couches and sat down in the one opposite her.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Christine asked, suddenly remembering the reason why they were there in the first place.

Erik unfastened the button holding his suit together and leaned back on the couch, extending his arm across the top of it. "I take it that I have been a popular topic of conversation amongst your colleagues at the hospital?"

"Actually, no," Christine answered, "I haven't heard anyone say a thing about you since Dr. Reyer told me, several times, that you had left."

Puzzled, Erik stroked his chin inquisitively with his other hand. "That's odd," he said matter-of-factly, "Because since I left I have received several phone calls from the hospital asking me many different and obscure questions."

Christine's eyes widened and her stomach dropped. She knew it was customary for doctors to sometimes make follow up phone calls after a patient had been discharged, but it was never more than one. Her stomach continued to plummet as she realized that they were probably contacting him about the research grant. "What have they been calling you about?" she asked shakily, "I thought your MRI results came back fine."

Erik smiled and sighed lightly, "Yes, they did," he said. "That was what the first phone call was about, but after that they became much stranger. Of course I received one the day after I left, asking why I had decided to check myself out; I figured they were just being nice. Next, Dr. Reyer called inquiring about this," he said as he casually pointed to the right side of his face which was covered by the mask, "and he wanted to know how it happened. I told him I was born with it, and he seemed satisfied with that answer. A couple days later I received another, except this time it wasn't from medical personnel. He said his name was Raoul Chagny, who I presume is your fiancé from what I remember you telling me, and he asked if I would be interested in being the subject for some research. Something about how physical deformities cause other medical ailments. I politely declined, but he was very persistent and called again to tell me that there would be some monetary compensation involved. Again, I politely declined; I don't need the money and I'd prefer not to be a lab rat."

Christine's entire body had suddenly become flooded with anger, and she was baffled at how calm Erik was being about all of this. Raoul would often bring up Erik in their conversations, but she figured he was just trying to make small talk. She had specifically explained to him that Erik was self-conscious about his deformity; she told Raoul there could not have been any coalition between his deformity and the migraines he received. Christine was at a loss for words, and all she did was laugh. She got up off the couch and began pacing around Erik's office as he watched her intently with a look of puzzled satisfaction.

After several minutes of pacing around and battling the thoughts in her head, she finally let out, "We need to go," as Erik looked at her questioningly. "We're going to the hospital right now. This is absurd, and I'm fed up with it. They're trying to use you for their own monetary gain, and that's not what hospitals are for. Everyone has been obsessed with research lately, when the real focus should be on the patients." She walked over to Erik, grabbed his hand and led him back into the hallway toward the elevators.


	4. Chapter 4

Erik was sure Christine was going to pull his arm out of its socket, but he couldn't help but become overjoyed at the sensation of her hand enclosed around his. Although he was positive she was pulling him with all the strength in her body, he had still never felt anything as soft and gentle as her hand. What a sight they must have been to the other pedestrians of New York City. They received many confused looks as Christine continued to pull Erik in the direction of the hospital; such a small woman leading a man much bigger than her. Erik would have protested against being led around like a dog, but he was too focused on the fact that Christine was holding his hand.

She slowed down a bit and let go of Erik's hand as he snapped back to reality. Christine began rummaging through her small purse, almost bumping into several people in the process. Erik grabbed a light hold of her shoulder and stopped her, "What are you doing, now?" he asked, out of breath.

Standing in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, Christine continued to look for something in her purse. "I'm looking for my cell phone," she said, completely focused on her task, only until a man accidentally ran into her almost knocking her over.

Erik luckily caught Christine by her arm and helped her steady herself as he shot daggers at the man with his eyes. He ought to strangle the man that almost sent Christine to the pavement, but he thought against it as he looked back at her as she pulled out her cell phone. "Christine," he said calmly, "The hospital is only a few blocks away, what do you need your cell phone for?"

"I want to give them a heads up before I get there," she said as she dialed a number, "I'd like for them to be prepared before I give them a piece of my mind."

Erik's heart surged with adoration; something about seeing Christine angry made him adore her even more. It let him know that even the most beautiful of people could be set off by something.

"Raoul," he heard Christine say into the phone. "What are you doing right now?"

Luckily, Erik's hearing was sharp and he could faintly hear Christine's fiancé on the other end. "I'm at work, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Christine maintained a sense of calmness, not wanting to give away her true emotions until she was at the hospital. "I'm perfectly fine, but I meant where are you in the hospital. I need to talk to you right now."

"Errr…" Raoul paused, "I'm in the conference room with Phil and Dr. Reyer. Can this wait?"

"Perfect!" Christine said back, "The more the merrier. I'll see you in a bit." She ended the phone call before Raoul could answer and grabbed hold of Erik's hand once more, leading him in the direction of the hospital.

When they finally arrived Erik was even more out of breath, but Christine was still determined to find Raoul and her other colleagues. She let go of his hand, which was starting to become a bit sore, as they rounded the corner on their way to the closed conference room door.

Without taking the time to knock, Christine flung the door open and stormed into the room. Raoul, Phil, and Dr. Reyer were all sitting at the table looking completely relaxed. Raoul was flipping through some paper work and Phil and Dr. Reyer were both looking down at their phones; all three men looked up at Christine and Erik as they entered.

Before she started, Christine looked up at Erik and casually scratched the top of her head with a smile. That was the first smile from her he had seen since he had told her about all of the phone calls. Realizing she was telling him his hair was messed up, Erik hurriedly attempted to smooth his hair down, which he could feel was wildly disheveled from walking so fast. Christine gave him a nod once he fixed it, and she turned back toward the three men, prepared to give them a piece of her mind.

Raoul stood up as he looked at Christine, "Christine, are you alright?" he asked. "And who are…"

"Erik Destler," Erik interrupted as he stuck out his hand, "I believe we've spoken on the phone."

Raoul accepted Erik's handshake and said quietly, "My offer still stands, Erik."

Christine lost it. She walked over to Raoul and pushed him away from Erik, "You! What is wrong with you?" Raoul looked dumbstruck as Christine raised her voice at him. "What happened to you? I never thought you would be the person to throw money at someone for the sake of getting even more money in return."

Dr. Reyer got up from his chair and walked over to Christine, lightly putting his hand on her shoulder, "Christine, let's not be rash now. Calm down and we will work this out like adults."

She turned on him just as quickly as she had turned on Raoul. "Adults, Dr. Reyer? In what part of this situation have you been acting like an adult? You called me so many times the day you found out Erik had left the hospital as you were trying to figure out where he had gone. He was fully recovered and there was no real reason for him to stay, but the lot of you have been trying to get him to play into your little pointless experiments in an attempt to get that research grant."

"Christine, the grant would benefit the hospital in so many ways, I can't even begin to list them all," Phil chimed in, adding his two cents.

Christine looked at all of them and shook her head, "There's your problem, gentlemen," she paused. "You're working toward this to benefit the hospital without a second thought of the people inside of it. If you received the grant, it would do nothing but put all of your names out into the world so you could continue to greedily rake in money. Why do I come into work every day? Because I enjoy what I do and I love helping people heal. Why do all of you come into work every day? Because of the money. That's not right."

She had calmed down slightly and was able to lower her voice. Taking advantage of Christine being calm, Raoul attempted to reason with her. "Christine, you don't know whether or not that's true," he said as he approached her and grabbed her hand. "This grant could really work out in our favor, we would be able to move out of that small apartment and into a much nicer one. We would finally be able to live comfortably. That," he said as he pointed to Erik," could get us there."

Appalled, Christine withdrew her hand from Raoul's grasp and quickly backed away from him. She nearly ran Erik over, who had been quietly watching the whole scenario, and he had to put his hands on her back in order to prevent her from doing so. He was quite used to people wanting to take advantage of him and treating him with disrespect, and he was very flattered that Christine wouldn't stand for it.

She linked her arm into Erik's, uninvited, but he wasn't going to complain. She was much more frazzled now, and she raised her voice in anger once again. "He's a human, Raoul! He's not some lab rat you and your little friends can play with. He has a deformity, it's not like there haven't been other patients with them. There's nothing wrong with him that any of you need to fix."

As she said her last statement, Erik tightened his arm, pulling Christine closer to his body ever so slightly. She was the first person in his life to say that there was nothing wrong with him; she was the first person to stand up for him. He had to blink several times to fight away the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes. He wasn't going to let himself cry, not when Christine needed him to be strong.

Raoul, Dr. Reyer, and Phil had all fallen silent as they realized their shortcomings, although none of them were willing to admit it. Several silent minutes passed as the men looked at their feet, Christine looked at her engagement ring, and Erik looked at Christine. Suddenly, Christine let go of Erik's arm and walked over to Dr. Reyer.

Looking him right in the eyes, she said, "Dr. Reyer, I no longer have the desire to work under a man of such low moral standing. I learned a lot about medical ethics while I was in college, but it seems that you might have skipped those lessons one too many times. I'm sorry, but I quit."

Everyone else's jaws hit the floor, including Erik's. He couldn't believe she was doing all of this. It baffled him even more at the thought that she was doing all of this for him; she was, without a doubt, the most loyal human being he had ever had the privilege of meeting. Erik noticed Christine's body tense slightly as she made her way over to Raoul, the fingers of her left hand twitching.

She looked at Raoul for a few seconds with a face of both pain and acceptance. She looked down at her hand and slowly removed the engagement ring he had placed there 5 months ago. Her voice was unsteady now. "Raoul, I'm sorry," she started as she looked back up at him, "But I can't do this anymore. You've put so much pressure on me during all of this, and it's too much to handle. This is all just too much. I'm sorry." Raoul's eyes were quickly filling with tears as she placed the ring in his hand and walked out of the room.

The four men stood in silence for a couple minutes. Raoul had collapsed into a nearby chair; his fist was closed around the ring and was pressed into his temple. Phil had walked over to him and was lightly rubbing his back in an attempt to calm his little brother down. Dr. Reyer was absently staring at the floor.

Erik, on the other hand, was quiet for a completely different reason. His heart had never beaten so hard while his mind attempted to comprehend everything that had just happened. Christine dragged him through the busy sidewalks of New York City so she could defend him. She quit her job because she didn't agree with what her superiors were conniving. She left her fiancé because he was emotionally absent while he was obsessing over a grant. She had done all of this because of Erik. If he had never met her, none of this would have happened, and he couldn't help but blame himself.

Quietly slipping out of the conference room, Erik quickly made his way out of the hospital just in time to see Christine standing at the corner waiting to cross the street. He walked over and stood next to her, not saying anything. She looked up at him, and her broken heart was clearly written across her face. She lightly leaned her head against his shoulder as they waited for the light to change.

"Where are you planning on going?" Erik asked, letting Christine lean against him.

Christine sighed, and he could tell that she was trying not to cry, "Too my apartment to get some of my stuff together. I'm probably going to check into a hotel until I find somewhere else to live."

Erik still felt horrible about himself, but he wasn't going to let that get to him until he took care of Christine. "Would you like some help?" he asked as he pulled away from her and offered his arm.

She looked up at him and smiled lightly, "Of course."

Once they finished getting together most of Christine's clothing, Erik was sure she was going to explode again. She was frantically running around the small studio apartment while Erik was placing her belongings into suitcases. "Christine," he called to her, "We can always get the rest of your stuff another time."

She walked back to the living room where Erik was and collapsed onto the couch next to him. She didn't say a word, but instead began to cry. Erik knew this was coming eventually, but he was still frozen on the spot as Christine cried into her hands. He awkwardly placed a hand on her back just as Phil had done for Raoul, and Christine fell into his lap.

"Christine," he started after she had calmed down a bit, "I think you're very brave for doing what you did today. It takes a very special person to give up something they love for the sake of someone else."

She removed herself from Erik's lap and rested her head on his shoulder again as she wiped away her tears. "Erik, I've built this life for myself, and just as I thought it was going to really take off, it fell apart."

Erik tentatively placed his arm around her, and she thankfully didn't seem to mind. "Christine, this isn't your fault. You did what was right; everyone around you was toxic, and you got yourself out of the situation before it had the ability to become worse."

She looked up at him and smiled ever so lightly, "Thank you, Erik"

Puzzled, Erik looked back at her, "For what?"

"For everything. For helping me get all of this stuff together. For making me realize that I deserve more."

Erik couldn't help but smile back at her as he realized that she didn't blame him for ruining her life. In fact, she had thanked him for it, and he was determined to help her put her life back together. He stood up and offered his hand to help her off the couch, "Come on. It's far too late for you to check into a hotel. I have an extra bedroom in my apartment that you're free to stay in as long as you need."

Christine was shocked, and silent, happy, tears came to her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked, quietly, "I don't want to intrude."

Erik shook his head and laughed, "You won't be intruding. It gets quite lonely, actually. It's the least I can do to repay you for defending me."

She practically knocked the wind out of him as she collided into him with a hug. Erik was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest, but he lightly put his arms around her. Together, they picked up Christine's bags and walked out of the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I'm really glad all of you are enjoying this! I would just like to give a very special shout out to two of my wonderful friends who have been so kind as to read this/edit it for me. Thanks to all of you, as well, for actually reading this! :)**

Erik never really needed much sleep, but in recent weeks he had gotten less than usual. In the first week, it was the muffled sounds of Christine's crying from across his apartment that woke him up. In the second week, it was the sound of Christine getting up to use the bathroom on an hourly basis. She had been staying with him for three weeks now, and this week he had been woken up by the sound of someone rummaging around in his kitchen.

Without thinking, Erik flew out of bed and quietly opened his bedroom door. He should have been used to being woken up in the middle of the night, but the footsteps coming from his kitchen sounded heavier than Christine's. He grabbed the television remote off of its place next to the TV and was prepared to use it against whoever was in there. He crept through the living room, past the dining room, and toward the light radiating from the kitchen. When he finally reached his kitchen, the supposed intruder was standing at the counter eating a bowl of cereal. Christine turned from her bowl to see Erik walking toward her with the remote poised at the ready.

Too tired to care, Christine turned back to her bowl of cereal and continued eating until she realized that Erik wasn't wearing his mask. She quickly did a double take and looked back at him with widening eyes. There was no blood, but she could see that Erik's skin seemed to have split in several places on his face. There were uneven patches of skin, some were thicker than others, and in some places you could clearly see the veins underneath. Erik, confused, looked back at her for a few seconds until he realized what she was staring at. His hand let go of the remote and flew to cover the right side of his face as his stomach plummeted to the floor. Christine would surely not want to stay with him anymore after she had finally seen what he had been hiding underneath the mask.

Erik had become reduced to a shaking pile of nerves as Christine slowly approached him. He was frozen on the spot. Christine had seen his hideous face because of his own ignorance. He had thought there was an intruder in his apartment, why would he have bothered to put his mask on? The sight of his face usually caused people to look away, but Christine had not broken her eye contact with him. Instead of the usual look of terror that crossed people's faces when they first saw his deformity, the look on Christine's face was one of curiosity. She slowly placed her hand on Erik's, attempting to get him to uncover his face.

"Christine," he said, almost crying, "P-Please don't."

Christine removed her hand from Erik's and instead softly stroked the other side of his face. "I've always wondered what you looked like without your mask," she said softly a few moments later.

Erik took in a few deep, calming breaths, "So has everyone else. I'm surprised you didn't run out of here never to return. My face is enough to incite fear in the hearts of the strongest men."

"Well, I can tell why you keep it covered," Christine said hesitantly, "If living here has taught me anything, it is that you're the least terrifying man on the planet. Every time I find a bug in here you never kill it; you always let it crawl out a window."

He couldn't help but laugh with her. As nervous as he was about Christine having seen his face, he was overcome with relief that she wasn't terrified of him. He quickly walked back to his room and returned moments later with the mask in its usual place. "What are you doing awake? It's nearly 3 in the morning," he said as he cleaned up her dishes for her.

Christine picked the remote up off the floor and walked over to the couch to sit down in the white robe that was covering her pajamas. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately," she answered as she switched the television on, her fingers aimlessly running through her hair. "I'm not sure why, usually I wake up from a nightmare or I just can't fall asleep because I'm thinking too much."

"Well is there anything I can do?" Erik asked. He hated seeing Christine like this. He had been working from home ever since she had moved in with him and although he did live on the top floor of his theatre, he was too worried to leave her alone after hearing her cry for so many nights. "Is there anything that calms you down or helps you get comfortable?"

A light seemed to go on in Christine's eyes as she hurried to her bedroom; Erik sat down in the middle of the couch and stretched before placing both of his arms over the top of it. Christine scurried back into the living room with a disc in one hand and a blanket in the other.

"Movies always calm me down" She knelt down and put the disc into the DVD player. "This is one of my favorites." She sat down on the couch next to him and burrowed herself beneath the blanket.

When he looked at her, the feeling of despair in his heart was quickly replaced with something that he could not put a name to. Her blanket was tightly wrapped around her body and her eyes were shining with excitement as the movie began. How someone could put off the sight of his face so quickly continued to amaze him. "What movie is this?"

"Shhhh," Christine said back to him and he couldn't help but smile, "It's a movie I've loved ever since I was a little girl. It's called Beauty and the Beast."

Erik raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice, "Wait, is this a cartoon?" His disappointment was evident

Christine's eyes became glued to the TV as the prologue started and she nodded her response. Erik begrudgingly turned his attention to the television and was immediately struck with interest as he realized what the story was about. Christine had said it was a favorite from her childhood, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had put it on to prove a point to him. He quickly found that his eyes were glued to the screen just as Christine's were.

As Be Our Guest finished Erik was about to tell Christine how much he had enjoyed the song, but before he could he felt something gently lean against the area between his chest and his shoulder. Erik looked down to see that Christine was fast asleep and had decided to use Erik as her pillow. His entire body was filled with warmth as he watched her peacefully sleep next to him with her blanket still tightly wound around her. He smiled and turned back to the television to finish the movie.

He found that he had actually enjoyed the cartoon that Christine was so adamant about watching, he would go so far as to say that he was moved by it. By the end of the movie he was struggling to fight back tears in an attempt to disturb the sleeping pile of blankets next to him. A tear silently fell from his face as he quickly wiped it away; it was true that someone could still love a beast, and he couldn't help but wonder when he would be able to experience that. Being as gentle as he could, he got up off the couch and watched Christine topple over onto the cushion where he had been sitting. He laughed quietly to himself as he slowly gathered her in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom. Somewhere along the way Christine had nuzzled her head into Erik's neck and he was tempted to hold her for the rest of the night. He would have gladly stayed standing in the hallway, with Christine asleep in his arms, if it meant she would actually get a good night's sleep. Erik knew she wasn't going to leave him now, she had seen him at his worse and she was barely moved by it. He walked into her bedroom and gently laid her down onto her bed. He pulled the covers over her and took one last look at the face he so adored before returning to his own room.

When Christine woke up the next morning she was convinced that she had gotten the best night's sleep in her entire life, but she was slightly confused as to how she ended up in her bed still wearing her robe. She rolled over to pick her phone up off of the nightstand next to her bed. As usual, there were several missed calls from Raoul that would go unreturned, but there was also a text message from Erik.

_Good morning, Christine. Before you wander out of your room this morning into the empty apartment, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be in the office for most of the day today. Nadir has been harping me about when I would return, and you seemed quite sound asleep last night. Regardless, if you need anything, feel free to come down and ask or give me a call. If you'd like, I left my credit card on the dining room table and you're free to go out and use it to buy food or anything else you feel you need. In the altered words of Beauty and the Beast: be my guest._

A huge smile was stretched across her face as she reread Erik's message. Memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. She had been woken up by the buzzing of her phone once again. Raoul had been calling her on and off ever since she had left him and the calls sometimes woke her up at night. She remembered wandering in the kitchen to find a late night snack, and then turning around to see Erik prepared to hit her with the television remote. She vaguely remembered watching Beauty and the Beast and figured that she probably fell asleep during it.

The one thing she was sure she would never forget was the look in Erik's eyes when he had realized he had forgotten to put his mask on. It was a look she had not yet seen from him, and it was certainly one of terror. She had to admit that his deformity was horrible, and she could understand why he was so self-conscious about it. Regardless, he was still Erik; he was still the handsome man who had graciously accepted her into his home and his life. He was still the man whom she was slightly smitten for. Yes, she had only been separated from Raoul for three weeks, but she experienced something with Erik that she had not yet experienced with any other man. He was extremely kind and generous to her and he had always made sure she wasn't uncomfortable living with him. He was the perfect gentleman.

Christine finally stretched and got out of bed. She walked into the living room where she had fallen asleep next to Erik. It was no wonder she did, the large brown leather couch in front of the television was ridiculously comfortable. She turned to her right and walked into the dining room and, sure enough, there was Erik's credit card lying on the mahogany table with a little piece of paper next to it. The paper had the phone number of Erik's driver who he had said would take her anywhere she needed to go.

She left the card where it was and took another right into the kitchen. She had fallen in love with Erik's kitchen the very first day she came to live with him. All of the cabinets were a rich, dark brown, and the countertops were made of white marble. There was a brown and green backsplash around the whole area and his stainless steel appliances made the room even more complete. Erik was one for simplicity when it came to decorating, but there was an elegance to it nonetheless.

She was thankful for every day that she woke up in Erik's home. He had truly done her an enormous favor by allowing her to stay with him. She missed her job at the hospital, and she was starting to become bored, but she enjoyed Erik's company and her frequent visits to Meg's dance studio. Feeling productive, Christine quickly made herself breakfast and took a shower before giving Erik's driver a call to ask if he could take her to the nearest grocery store. She was never the best at cooking, but she figured making Erik dinner would be a nice way to thank him for everything he'd done for her.

"You've finally gotten the broad to sleep!" Nadir exclaimed after Erik had described to him the events of the night before. They were alone in Nadir's office, which was slightly smaller than Erik's, and the masked man was aimlessly wandering around while Nadir sat at his desk.

Erik stopped in his tracks and looked at Nadir with his head tilted. "She's not a broad, Nadir," he said as he crossed his arms, "She's wonderful and to answer your question, yes, she did actually sleep well last night."

Nadir leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up to rest on his desk. "Are you sure there's not a part of the story you're leaving out, then?" Nadir teased as Erik glared at him, unamused. He rolled his eyes and continued, "I've never seen you like this. Are you sure you're not falling for this girl who's living under your roof?"

Erik walked over to the chair on the opposite side of Nadir's desk and sat down. He rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. For once in his life, he was confused. "That's the thing, I've never really been interested in anyone so I'm not sure what that feels like. All I know is that I enjoy her company and I think her heart is equally as beautiful as she is."

"You're definitely falling for her," Nadir said as he raised his eyebrows and smiled. "You know, I was always a little concerned that you had never taken an interest in love, but now that you have I couldn't be happier! You should take her out to dinner, find out if her feelings are the same."

Erik laughed sarcastically, "I highly doubt she'd reciprocate my feelings. She's been separated from that wretched fiancé of hers for only three weeks. There's no way she could have developed feelings for me this quickly."

Nadir shook his head and smiled at Erik from across his desk. "You really don't know anything about this, do you? I think I've finally found the one thing that has caused Erik Destler any kind of intellectual confusion," he said with a laugh. "You should take her out somewhere nice and really talk to her; find out how she feels."

"Whatever you say, Nadir," Erik said as he crumpled up a nearby piece of paper and launched it at his friend's head before walking out of the office.

He spent the remainder of his work day cooped up in his office. He tried to get some work done, but his thoughts were getting the best of him and Christine kept popping into his brain. There was definitely something very special about her but he couldn't tell if everything she was doing for him was a gesture of kindness, of pity, or of something more.

When he had finally had enough of being alone with his thoughts, he walked up the flight of stairs leading to his apartment. He opened the door and was immediately struck by the scent of chicken. Smiling, he took off his suit jacket and laid it across the arm of the couch to fully reveal a light blue shirt and black tie.

"What's all this?" he asked with a tone of surprise in his voice as he entered the kitchen. Christine had her long hair pulled back and she was rushing around the kitchen to make sure she had everything prepared for dinner.

She turned and smiled at him before returning her attention to the chicken breast that she had just taken out of the oven. "I figured I'd make you dinner tonight; it's the least I can do to repay you for letting me stay here." She picked up a knife and began to cut into the food.

Erik leaned against the counter next to the oven and watched Christine's slight struggle with a smile on his face. He rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he approached her, "Need some help with that?"

Christine sighed and let go of the knife, he did not miss the slight fall of her shoulders. "Yes, I do, actually. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Erik said with a smile as he took Christine's place in front of the oven. It was now Christine's turn to watch and she couldn't help but stare at Erik's forearms flexing while he used the knife. He was very slim for his stature but there was no doubting his strength. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see her staring at him, and he became satisfied as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "There you go, ma'am," he said as he finished completely cutting their dinner.

She snapped back to reality and looked at him with a smile as she began to prepare two plates. She had made some roasted potatoes and sautéed vegetables to go along with the chicken and she couldn't wait to taste her handiwork. Erik had gone into the dining room and sat down as Christine set a plate in front of him.

"Thank you," he said sincerely before picking up his fork. She looked back at him and smiled. Her phone ringing from the kitchen startled them both out of their moment.

"Of course this would happen right now," she said quietly.

Erik heard her loud and clear. Before she had the chance to get up he was on his feet and headed into the kitchen. "Don't worry, I'll put it on silent." He gave her a brief smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

He looked at the caller ID on Christine's iPhone; of course it was Raoul. He had been able to hear her phone ringing several times per day in the past weeks and he had no doubt that Raoul was on the other end.

He picked up the phone but remained silent

"Christine! You finally picked up!" He was frantic. "I am so sorry…about everything. Where are you? Are you okay?"

He remained silent for a few seconds and could practically feel Chagny's tension through the phone. "I can assure you, Mr. Chagny, that Christine is quite well. I see that you haven't taken the hint that she does not wish to speak with you. I advise that you stop calling her. If she has something to say to you she will say it when she's ready."

Raoul must have been dumbstruck on the other end of the phone when he heard a man's voice instead of Christine's. "Hey! Who the hell is this?" his panic rose, "I'll call the police if you've done anything to her."

Erik chuckled menacingly into the phone, "I haven't done anything to Christine. She's in good hands, Mr. Chagny. She's with her favorite patient."

With that, Erik hung up the phone and walked back into the dining room.

Christine hadn't touched her food but she pretended to be more interested in her plate when Erik sat back down. She had heard every word he had said to Raoul, and she was torn between being embarrassed or grateful. She looked up from her plate to find Erik staring at her with a look of concern.

"You heard that, didn't you?" He asked sheepishly.

She gave him a half smile, "I did. Thank you."

A puzzled look fell upon Erik's face, "You're thanking me?"

"Yes," she said honestly, "for telling Raoul to leave me alone. You're right, if I want to talk to him I will and I obviously don't want to right now. I'm not sure if I ever will. Thank you,"

Erik nodded, accepting Christine's thank you, and finally began to eat.

"Forget about that, though. How was your first day back at work?" She was much more relaxed now and Erik was happy to oblige the change of subject.

"It was fine. Nadir was a little too excited to have me back for him to pester all day."

She giggled. "I'm glad Nadir is happy then. I'd be happy too, after you had been gone so long."

He very much liked her response and he gave her a smile. "How was yours? I see you did some shopping."

She looked up at him. "My day was good, it was nice to get out of the house and do something." She looked back down at her plate and began pushing her food around.

"I'm sure it was," Erik answered back. "Christine, I know it's been hard for you, being here without anything to do. I'm sure you miss your job."

She sighed and nodded in agreement. "I do miss my job, and I miss going out on the town at night, going out for dinner and drinks. I just don't have the will to anymore."

Erik cocked his head to the side and looked at her, concerned. "Well, I'll tell you what, Christine. How about I take you out this weekend? There's a restaurant near Central Park that I think you'll like and then we can walk around a bit afterwards."

"Like a date?" Christine asked immediately.

He fell silent, confused as to whether Christine would want it to be or not. "If that's what you want, then it can be a date. I'd be more than happy to do that with you," he answered quietly.

"Then it's a date," she replied happily as she got up from the table and walked over to Erik. She gave him a quick kiss to the temple before gathering up his plates and bouncing into the kitchen.

Erik stayed frozen on the spot, his heart beating a million beats per minute. He was taking Christine Daae on a date… and she had just kissed his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Christine didn't feel like getting out of bed on Friday. She had to wait until 5pm for Erik to get home, and it was far too cold out to make the walk over to see Meg. Her mind was still reeling with happiness from the fact that she would be going on a date with Erik tomorrow. It had been a while since she had gone on a proper date, and she was excited to see how things would go with Erik.

She was suddenly struck with the realization that she had no idea what she was going to wear on their date, so she sprang out of bed and opened her closet. She quickly put on a pair of jeans and the first sweater she saw before frantically searching through the hangers for an outfit. It was the first day of December so Christine quickly ruled out the option of wearing a dress. If they were going to be walking around she didn't want her legs to be completely bared to the cold air.

She began searching through the top shelf of her closet, which had most of her warmer clothes, before she sent several objects crashing to the floor. As she knelt down to gather up the various pairs of shoes and clothes that were now on her floor, she heard a knock on her bedroom door and became frozen on the spot.

"Christine," she heard Erik say from the other side of the door, "Are you alright?"

With a sigh of relief, she got up off the floor and opened her door to see a very confused Erik looking back at her. She couldn't help but giggle at his expression. "I'm okay, don't worry," she said with a smile, "I just knocked a few things over. What are you doing here?"

"Nadir makes excellent coffee, and I figured I would bring you some, but I see you're a little busy." He peered into her room and took in the sight of all of the shoes and clothes that were strewn across her bedroom floor. "What on earth were you trying to do?"

"Well I was looking for something to wear tomorrow and realized that I literally have nothing. Then I looked on the top shelf of my closet and everything just sort of…fell," she said as she scratched the back of her head.

Still very confused, Erik continued to take in the sight of her room. "It looks to me as if you have an endless amount of clothing to choose from."

She sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed while Erik remained standing in the doorway. "I know it looks that way, but all of this has too much emotional attachment. I don't like the idea of going on a date wearing something that I wore on a date with Raoul."

Erik's lip curled slightly at the mention of Raoul's name. The only thing he had against the man was that he had upset Christine, but he certainly did not want to think about her on a date with him. Quickly putting a smile back on his face, he said, "Why don't we go shopping then? I could use something myself, it'll be my treat."

A smile spread rapidly across Christine's face, but disappeared just as fast, "Shouldn't you go back to work? I would hate to take you away from Nadir again."

"Nadir will survive," Erik said with a laugh, "Besides, I would much rather spend time with you than in my office. Remember, I'm the boss, I can take days off whenever I want."

Christine couldn't help but laugh with him, "Alright, you've convinced me." She took the coffee from Erik's hand as she playfully bumped him with her hip on the way out of her room.

When they arrived at the strip of stores that Christine had described to Cedric, Erik's driver, he was sure he had made the right decision to spend the day with Christine. She could hardly contain herself. He knew he would be spending time with her tomorrow as well, but he was relishing in her excitement over their shopping trip.

With each store they entered, Christine would pull Erik by the hand from rack to rack as she picked out outfits to try on. Now Erik was sure he would never understand why other men had complained about shopping with their wives or girlfriends. Besides getting to bask in Christine's beautifully happy smile, he got to watch her show off each outfit she had tried on. Of course every time she walked out of a dressing room with something new on he would tell her she looked great. After the tenth outfit she had gotten slightly annoyed so he stopped complimenting her and instead sat and watched with a huge smile on his face. Eventually Christine had picked out several outfits that she wanted, although she wouldn't tell Erik which one she was planning on wearing the next day.

"You really didn't have to do this," Christine told him after he put his credit card back into his wallet. She had tried and tried to pay for some of what she wanted, but he insisted on buying everything for her. "Can I at least buy your outfit?"

"No, you cannot," he answered as he looked at her pleading eyes. "Okay, fine. You can buy my tie."

He seemed to have made her happy because she grabbed his arm, for his hands were too busy carrying her bags, and pulled him into the next store. He usually got most of his clothes from a tailor because of how tall he was, so he had never been in the store Christine had chosen.

She began looking through the dress shirts that were displayed on the wall while he walked to the other side to look at the pants. "Look!" She said as she bounded over to him with about five shirts in her arms.

Erik's eyes widened as he chuckled, "I only need one shirt, Christine."

She furrowed her brow and looked through the pile of shirts in her hands before handing him one. "How about this one?"

Christine was well aware of Erik's love for simplicity, and she had picked out a red shirt with a white collar. "Good choice," he said with a smile as he pulled a pair of slim fitting jeans from the table. "Now I just need a tie."

They walked over to where the ties were and he let Christine pick one out since she would be buying it. She held many different ones up to the shirt Erik was holding before deciding on one with red, black, and white stripes.

"I'm not trying this on," he told her as he tried to direct her toward the counter. "Although you tried on your outfits for me, I have no idea what you're wearing and I don't want you to be spoiled."

Christine couldn't help but smile at the smirk that was forming on Erik's face as she smacked his arm playfully with the tie. "Okay, fine. You win."

When they returned to the apartment, Christine walked in first but Erik did not follow. He stayed standing in the doorway and placed her bags inside, keeping his own in his hand.

She turned around, expecting him to be behind her, and was confused when she saw him still outside. "Aren't you going to come in?"

He looked at her and smiled, "I don't think so. I want this to be a proper date tomorrow, so I was thinking that you could have the apartment for the night and morning so you can take all the space you need to get ready. I'll spend the night in my office and come and pick you up tomorrow for dinner. It'll be like a real date."

"Are you sure?" she replied back. "I'd hate for you to have to sleep in your office. That doesn't sound very comfortable."

Christine was now right in front of him, looking concerned. "The couch is rather comfortable, actually," he said reassuringly. "I'll survive."

She cocked her head to the side, finally accepting Erik's offer. "Okay, well I will see you tomorrow, then. Thank you for taking me shopping today. I had a lot of fun."

He swiftly took her hand into his. "As did I," he told her before placing a kiss on her hand and walked downstairs to his office.

The feeling of butterflies did not leave Christine's stomach the next day. Erik had said he would pick her up at 4 o'clock so she made sure her process of getting ready took longer than usual. After showering and trying to relax for a little while, she still couldn't rid herself of the nervous-excited feeling within her. She did her hair, makeup, and nails all in the matter of an hour, and then found that she still had an hour before Erik would come and get her.

Still too nervous to sit still, she decided to finish getting ready. Her outfit was laid out on her bed and she had been adding and subtracting different accessories to it all day. She finally decided to just put the outfit on and then decide on an accessory. Although she wasn't going to admit it, she had picked the outfit that would complement Erik's the most. She had on a pair of skinny jeans, a long white sweater, a gray scarf with small speckles of red in it, and tall black boots. Deciding to spice it up a little, she added some red lipstick.

There was nothing left to do except sit and wait for Erik. She incessantly stared at her phone for what seemed like forever, and just as she watched the clock turn to 4pm there was a knock on the door. Christine sprang off of the couch and tried to take her time in answering the door, but she opened it just as quickly as Erik had knocked. They each took a few silent moments to take in the image of each other. Erik had worn the outfit they had gotten yesterday and he had added a black fitted vest and a pair of black dress shoes. In his hand was a single red rose.

After staring at her for several moments, he handed her the rose. "You look absolutely stunning, Miss Daae. I don't think I have ever seen a woman more beautiful."

She knew Erik well enough to know that if he was nervous he wasn't going to let Christine know. She was still charmed at his words, nonetheless. "You look very handsome, Erik," she told him with a smile. The mask on his face was no longer noticeable to her; she acknowledged that it was a part of him and she still thought he was handsome.

"I'm very sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to come in because I forgot my coat," he said seriously.

Christine laughed and stepped to the side so he could enter his own apartment. "I know you spent the night in your office, but you do still live here. Wait!" She grabbed his arm to stop him as he pulled both of their coats out of the closet. "Can we take a picture?"

Erik grumbled quietly, "I hate pictures," before accepting his fate of the camera.

She handed him her phone and showed him what button to press to take the picture. He held it out in front of them with his other arm wrapped around Christine. The picture had come out alright, but it was a little awkward because of their height difference so Erik suggested that they use the self-timer instead.

They set the phone to take a photo every ten seconds, and they stood in front of the windowed doors leading to the balcony while they waited for the first flash. Luckily Christine's boots gave her a little more height and Erik was able to put his arm around her waist, and she rested her hand on his stomach. After taking a few normal photos, Christine decided that she wanted to take a silly one. Erik wasn't one for silliness, but he agreed and decided to pick Christine up and hold her like the night he had carried her to her bed.

The first couple pictures that were captured were of the two of them trying to getting situated. There was one where both of them were smiling at the camera and the very last one, which was taken right before Erik put Christine back on the floor, was one of them smiling at each other.

After looking through the pictures together, they finally decided to leave. On their way through the building, Erik had purposely beat Christine to every door they had to use just so he could open it for her. When they finally got outside, there was a black limo instead of the usual black sedan that Cedric used.

Out of appreciation for Erik's romantic gesture, Christine decided not to question how Erik had gotten a limo. It was only their first official date, but Christine found that she was falling for Erik faster than she had ever imagined. It wasn't just the romantic gestures and his good manners; it was the fact that talking to him was so easy. The conversation was always flowing between the two of them, and there was certainly never a dull moment.

Erik was well aware of how close to him Christine was sitting while they rode to the restaurant. He was usually opposed to physical affection, but he couldn't fight the feeling of happiness that came with each touch from Christine. She put her hand on his every time she laughed and she kept mindlessly touching his arm when she looked out the window.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were taken to a table that was sat in front of a large window which gave them a wonderful view of Central Park. There was a small jazz combo playing somewhere nearby in the restaurant, and all of the waiters seemed to be overly friendly to Erik. Christine assumed it was because they were probably intimidated by his mask so she brushed it off.

Erik had ordered them a bottle of wine, and they took a few minutes to brood over the menu. Christine was aware that Erik never really ate a lot, but she was still surprised when he had told her he was leaning toward getting steak. She had decided to get salmon, and when the waiter returned Christine was surprised yet again when Erik ordered for her. She was feeling rather affectionate the entire night and her foot kept finding Erik's leg under the table. Although each time she tried to touch him, he would shift a little and move his chair a little farther away from the table.

"What are you doing, Erik?" Christine asked him after what seemed like the millionth time he tried to move his chair.

His face went slightly pink and he smiled lightly. "You keep hitting me with your foot and I just wanted to make sure you had enough leg room."

Christine became slightly embarrassed when she realized that Erik wasn't picking up on her showing of affection. "Oh, I didn't realize that-" she paused, concerned that she might insult him. "Never mind, I'll stop."

"We can always move to another table if you're not comfortable at this one," he told her as he began to look around for their waiter.

She grabbed his forearm, but pulled away when he gave a little jump. "I'm sorry," she sighed, "It's perfectly fine here. I was just trying to be affectionate."

Erik cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh, I didn't realize. I don't have much experience with this kind of thing. I'm not very used to being….caressed."

Christine tried very hard to keep her feeling of pity from showing on her face. "I'm really sorry, Erik. I'll stop."

He stared at her for a few moments, expressionless, before slowly taking her hand and smiling. "You don't have to apologize, and you certainly don't have to stop. We'll just have to take it a little slower."

She smiled and went back to her dinner. Their conversation was able to resume as if nothing had happened, but Erik seemed less tense ever since Christine had stopped touching him.

When they left the restaurant, it didn't take them very long to walk over to Central Park. The sun was just beginning to set and it was growing colder out; it hadn't snowed yet but the trees were bare. Christine had her arms folded tightly against her body, trying to warm herself up, and Erik offered his arm to her. She quickly grabbed it, but was sure to keep an appropriate distance between the two of them so as to not make him uncomfortable. After a few moments he pulled her in closer and smiled when she looked up at him.

They continued their walk only until Christine stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed two men sitting on a bench several feet in front of them. The men had not yet noticed Christine and Erik, so Christine began to back peddle quietly so they wouldn't notice. Erik unquestioningly followed her. One of the men looked up and slowly looked away, not thinking anything of the two. The other man followed the man's glaze and was quickly out of his seat and headed directly for Erik.

Christine had obviously recognized the men as Raoul and Phil and just before Raoul had the chance to reach Erik, Christine rushed forward and met Raoul halfway. She looked up at him menacingly, and Raoul's tough façade was quickly wiped away.

"What do you think you were trying to do Raoul? Were you really going to be violent to someone in a public place?" She asked him, keeping her voice low but still carrying an aggressive tone.

Raoul furrowed his brow as he looked back at her. "Has he done anything to you? On the phone it sounded like-"

"Like what?!" Christine interrupted. "Like he was keeping me hostage? No, he is not. He offered to let me stay, and he's been nice enough to not kick me out yet. We're actually on a date right now. Unlike you, he has actually been able to make some time for me."

Erik and Phil were both keeping their distance from the quarreling Raoul and Christine, but they were able to hear every word of their conversation. Erik noticed that Phil kept meeting his gaze, and they were both sharing concerned looks as they watched the people they care about most pour their emotions onto the floor.

Raoul shook his head a smirked at every word Christine said to him. "Christine, if you haven't forgotten already I took you out to the best restaurants in this city. I made sure every time I took you out that it was somewhere nice."

Christine threw her head back and groaned, apparently aggravated that Raoul still wasn't getting her message. "That isn't the point! I could care less if we went to the most expensive restaurant, that wasn't the point. You were never home, and when I actually needed you to be there you weren't. You put your job before everything."

"Yes, because it's my job," Raoul said quickly. "Taking over the hospital is my biggest responsibility, I didn't have much time to spend with you or listen to some pointless work story because I was too busy with something more important."

"And that's why I left you," Christine shot back at him before turning her back and walking away.

Raoul shook his head and laughed, muttering a derogatory term under his breath. "You'll never find another man like me."

Just as Christine tried to grab Erik's hand to leave, he was quickly closing in on Raoul.

Erik grabbed the front of Raoul's shirt and pulled him in close, still towering over him. Phil walked a little closer to the two men, but calmed down when he realized Erik wasn't going to hurt his little brother.

He looked down at the cowering Raoul, "It's over, Mr. Chagny, and if you can't move on and accept that, then you are right in saying Christine will never find another man like you. Men don't behave like the boy you are." He let go of Raoul's shirt, but Raoul was still frozen in fear. "I assure you I won't be so nice the next time I find out you've said something insulting to Christine."

Raoul didn't have anything to say to Erik, and he instead turned his back and walked toward his brother while Erik watched. Phil gave Erik an expressionless nod before turning and leaving with Raoul.

When Erik returned to Christine, she grabbed his arm and they walked back in the direction of the limo. It was beginning to get dark, and Christine seemed stressed so Erik thought it best that they go back to the apartment. Just as they were about to leave the park and walk back onto the street, Christine stopped again.

She turned to Erik and looked at him with longing eyes. Christine gently grabbed his forearms and walked toward him, forcing him to walk backwards. He only walked so far until his back was up against a tree, and Christine's body was quickly pressed up against his. Before he had time to react, her hands were on his neck and she had pulled his head down and pressed her lips against his.

He stood lifeless for a moment while Christine's lips collided with his, but he then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as he could. Sure he had kissed women before, but nothing could compare to the bliss that he felt when he kissed Christine.

They eventually pulled apart and Christine rested her head on Erik's chest. "You're the best," she said as she listened to his frantically beating heart.

He stroked her hair and leaned his head onto hers. She had gotten the release she needed by arguing with Raoul, and he had gotten the release he needed by finally being able to kiss her.


	7. Chapter 7

Not even the loud noise of the eggs in the frying pan could drown out Erik's thoughts the next morning. His mind was still reeling from the night before. He had never expected a first date to end the way that his and Christine's had. She had kissed him, and he couldn't help but think that she had done it in spite of Raoul. He had enjoyed the kiss, of course, but he needed to make sure it was for the right reasons. Erik's feelings for Christine had been growing rapidly ever since he first spoke with her in the hospital.

Just as Erik scraped the scrambled eggs onto two plates, Christine came bounding into the kitchen. She was just as glorious as ever even with her hair up in a messy bun and the baggy sweatpants that were hugging her hips.

Erik turned around to hand a plate to her, "Christine," was all he could get out before she quickly pressed a light kiss to his lips. He stood there breathless for a few moments as Christine took the plate from his hands. "_Good_ morning," he said quietly as she smiled at him and walked into the dining room. Maybe their kiss wasn't in spite after all.

Last night was the first night Raoul hadn't contacted Christine, and that, combined with her lingering butterflies from their date, had her on top of the world. She began to eat her breakfast but failed to recognize that Erik was avoiding her gaze. "How did you sleep?"

He quickly looked up and looked back at his plate just as fast. "I slept fine. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully," she said with a smile. "I didn't have any unwanted text messages or missed calls when I woke up. Whatever you said to Raoul last night must have really worked. Thank you."

He could feel his face becoming warm. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I was defending you just as you did so kindly for me way back when." He found the courage to look up at her and wasn't disappointed when he was met with her smiling face.

"What are your plans for today?" She was still unable to notice how nervous Erik was. She started aimlessly flipping through the pages of the newspaper while she continued eating her breakfast.

Erik raised his eyebrows as he was quickly becoming impatient with the casualness of Christine's conversation. Surely she hadn't forgotten last night, but she was pretending that nothing had happened between them. Although it was merely a kiss, it had meant so much more for him. "I don't have any plans. I may read or do some cleaning later."

Christine stood up and picked up her plate. "That sounds relaxing. I was thinking of going to visit Meg later, I don't have much else to do." She walked over to his place at the table and reached for his plate.

He gently placed his hand on hers before she had the chance to pick his plate up. "What is this to you?" He asked her seriously, finally looking straight into her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She kept her hand under his, but placed her plate down and leaned against the table.

"What is this?" He asked again, trying to cover up the shaking in his voice. "Are we a 'thing'," he said with air quotes, "Because I would really like to know. I've had these unexplainable feelings for you since the day I met you. You're the most beautiful person inside and out and you continue to amaze me every single day. There's a reason I'm doing all of this. You're the reason I've finally been able to open up to someone. I just," he paused, taking a deep breath, "I just want to know what you're feeling before this gets out of hand."

Christine smiled as she put her other hand over his. "Well it sounds like you have a bit of a crush, Erik," she said, attempting to lighten the mood. "I've never met anyone like you. You're the first person who has actually taken a real interest in everything I have to say. You picked me up when I was down, and you opened your home to me. I'll be forever grateful to you for that. For everything."

Erik raised his eyebrows at her although he was touched by what she had said. "So…."

"I have feelings for you too. So if you would like to be in a relationship with me, I think I would be the happiest girl on the planet. As long as you're comfortable with it."

A smile spread across Erik's face, but he found himself unable to speak. It was true that someone could love a beast. He nodded before saying, "Yes…I would like that."

Christine smiled, "Well you know what this means?" She asked as she sat down in his lap, winding her arms around his neck.

"What?" He asked with a sly smile as he wrapped his arms around her. "That I can do this whenever I want?" He pulled her in for kiss, tentatively pushing his lips against hers.

Christine blushed when they pulled apart. "You can certainly do that whenever you want. It also means that you're my boyfriend."

Erik blushed lightly and laughed. "A 33 year old boyfriend. Who would've thought!?" He pressed his thumbs into her hips in an attempt to tickle her. "Then you're my girlfriend, Miss Daae."

She squirmed slightly under Erik's fingers as she giggled. "Gosh, we sound like we're in grade school."

He stopped and looked at her, seriously, "I don't care what I am, as long as I get to be with you."

"I agree," she said before placing a kiss on his nose and finally taking their plates into the kitchen.

After cleaning their dishes Christine retreated into her bedroom, still feeling on top of the world. She picked up her phone and dialed Meg's number to see if she was free for the day. Meg had gone out with her boyfriend, Andrew, the previous night as well and Christine figured they needed some catching up.

"Hello!" Meg answered after a few rings.

"Meg!" Christine said into the phone excitedly. "I have wonderful news!"

Christine could hear Andrew shouting her name excitedly in the background. "I do too, but you can go first," Meg said after telling Andrew to be quiet.

Erik was sitting on the couch reading while trying not to rudely eavesdrop on Christine's phone conversation. He was succeeding until he heard his name continually being brought up. He couldn't help but grin at the book in his hands as he listened to Christine talk so fondly of their time together the previous night. Hearing her talk about him with such adoration made his heart pound.

Christine was nearing the end of her story. She had told Meg about her date with Erik, the encounter with Raoul, kissing Erik, and now the conversation this morning. "I wanted today to be as normal as possible, so I treated this morning like any other morning. He must have been nervous, though, because he was giving me shorter answers than usual and he finally asked what was going on between us. We both decided, and now we're dating."

There was a high pitched squeal on the other end of the phone and Christine had to move it away from her ear. She could hear Andrew cheering in the background and she figured she must have been on speaker phone. "That's amazing Christine! I am so happy for you! I'm so glad you've found someone that makes you so happy; I've never seen you like this."

Erik was now fully listening to Christine, and he was elated to hear how excited she was while she explained that they were dating. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to a message from Nadir asking him to come down to the office. Nadir had been working on a few things for the theatre and wanted Erik to look them over. He begrudgingly got off the couch, smiling once more in the direction of Christine's room, and made the short walk down to his office.

"What's your news, dear?" Christine asked after Meg had finally calmed down.

There were a few moments of silence on the other end before Meg and Andrew said in unison, "We're engaged!"

"GUYS!" Christine shouted excitedly into the phone. "That's great! How did it happen?! Where did you guys go?! What's your ring like?! Tell me everything!" She was a complete sucker for engagement stories.

Meg and Andrew took turns telling the story of how he asked Meg to marry him. They had gone out to dinner and Meg had a feeling he was going to propose during their meal. He didn't, and she put it off thinking he would do it another day. On their walk back to their apartment he had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and proposed, completely surprising her. Both of them sounded so excited.

"I want you to be my maid of honor, Christine!" Meg told her after they finished their story.

Christine giggled excitedly, "You haven't even set a date yet, Meg. It's only been a day!"

"I know, but I still want you to be my maid of honor," Meg said back. Andrew was repeatedly chanting the phrase "Do it!" in the background.

"I would love to be your maid of honor," Christine answered once they had both quieted down.

The two girls eventually ended their call and Christine decided not to ask Meg if she wanted to do something. Christine figured Andrew and Meg wanted some alone time to tell their families that they were engaged.

She walked out of her room with the intention of finding Erik and telling him the exciting news, but he was nowhere to be found. There was a note on the dining room table that he must have put there before he left.

_Christine, _

_I had to run down to the office to look something over for Nadir. Be back soon. _

_Erik x_

She was still on top of the world as she sat on the couch and turned on the television. Her best friend was engaged to the love of her life, and she was beginning the relationship journey with Erik. She slowly looked through the channels with a content smile as she waited for Erik to return.

Christine and Erik had decided to stay in the next weekend. Erik had had a very busy week at work, and Christine was perfectly content with being able to curl up next to him on the couch every night. He had gotten much better with physical affection in the last week. He had actually begun to initiate some of their kisses, and seemed to really enjoy getting to pull Christine closer to him when they were relaxing on the couch.

After dinner on Saturday, Erik had stayed in his room for a while. Christine was on the couch, waiting for him to come back out, and she could tell he was talking on the phone. She couldn't make out any of his words; his quiet voice was muffled by the loud pounding of his fingers on the keys of his laptop. When he finally came out of his room he had a rather stressed look on his face.

Christine cocked her head to the side and gave him a concerned look. She opened her arms and motioned with her hands for him to come over to her. He sat down next to her, put his arm around her and leaned his head on top of hers. "Everything alright?" She asked him after his breathing started to slow.

He sighed and started running his fingers through her hair. "Yes," he said softly. "I should have told you this earlier, but my mother comes to visit for Christmas every year and I was just speaking with her about this year's plans. We usually spend Christmas Eve with Nadir and his wife and daughter. You're certainly welcome to invite Andrew and Meg."

She had told him about both of her parents passing away, and she was surprised that he had never said anything about his mother until now. "Oh, that's nice!" She said, attempting to lighten Erik's grim mood. "When is she coming?"

"She'll be flying in from Paris the Monday after next and staying until the 26th." He said as Christine sat up so she could look at him. "She usually stays here, but now that you're here we've been discussing her living arrangements. If it's alright with you, I was thinking she could take your room, you could take mine, and I could take the couch."

Christine didn't like the idea of Erik having to sleep on a couch again just because she was staying with him. He had only done it once before, but this time would be for a much longer period of time and she didn't want him to be uncomfortable for so long. "It's your decision, Erik. This is your apartment. Does she know we're a couple?"

Erik nodded, "Yes, she does." He had never had a serious girlfriend, and he was extremely nervous about how his mother would treat Christine.

She could tell that there was something wrong with the way Erik was acting about this situation. Having a parent visiting for the holiday shouldn't cause this much stress for one person. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked as her began to rub the back of his neck. "You seem a little stressed."

He looked at her with a very serious face. "There's something you should know about my mother, Christine. She doesn't have any family other than me. I'm an only child and after my father passed away I was the only one left for her to spend holidays with. She's never been very fond of me for as long as I can remember, I guess she didn't like the idea of having such an ugly son. I know Christmas is supposed to be cheerful, but she sucks the life out of me every time she visits."

Christine couldn't help but feel sorry for Erik. When she was growing up, her parents were very loving and supportive of her. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Erik to be deprived of that. She put her hand on the unmasked side of his face and pulled it so he was looking her in the eyes. "I'm sorry that your mother is unaccepting of you, but this year will be different. I'll be here to help you through this. I promise it isn't going to be bad this year, and I'll make sure you enjoy yourself."

A half smile slowly spread across his face and he quickly placed a finger on her nose. "Okay," he said with a nod. "Thank you." He put one hand on the side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss. "I think I'm going to turn in, goodnight my Christine."

"Goodnight, my Erik," she said before placing a kiss on his cheek and walking toward her own room.

As hard as she tried, Christine could not fall asleep that night. She was mixed with many different emotions. She was happy being with Erik, but she couldn't help but think of the pain that he felt toward his mother. Perhaps she was the reason he was so self-conscious about his face underneath the mask. She was nervous for what it was going to be like with his mother staying here, and she wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself if she were to witness Erik being belittled by her.

She gave up all hopes of trying to sleep by 3am. She didn't want to wake up Erik, but she was unsure of what else would be able to ease her troubled mind.

She picked up her cell phone and texted him. _Erik?_ was all she sent.

After a few moments of silence, which gradually became filled with the soft sound of footsteps, there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said quietly before Erik opened her bedroom door.

He remembered to put his mask on this time, and he was standing in her open doorway wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Christine had never seen him in a tank top, but she wasn't surprised at the light muscle definition of his thin arms. "What's wrong?" He asked her with a worried tone.

She pulled the covers around her a little tighter, attempting to look as innocent as possible. "I can't sleep."

Erik stayed in the doorway, unsure if he should enter her room or not. "Did you have a bad dream?" He couldn't help but smile at the image of Christine wrapped up in her blankets.

"Something like that," she answered. She unwound herself from the covers and pulled them aside, patting the other side of her bed.

They had never spent the night together, but Erik didn't want her to be awake all night. If she needed him to be next to her while she slept, then he was willing to do that. He hesitantly walked over to the other side of the bed and got in. He kept his shoulders and head propped up against the wall, partly because he didn't want to lie down all the way and partly because he didn't fit on Christine's double bed.

She pulled the covers over both of them and quickly scooted closer to Erik. She placed her head on his chest and wrapped both of her arms around his torso. "You know you don't have to sleep on the couch when your mother visits."

Unsure of what Christine was implying, he wrapped his arms around her and stayed silent for a few moments. "You need to get some sleep, darling," he finally said.

Christine moved away from Erik and propped herself up on one arm as she looked at him in her dark room. "I'm being serious. We could do this instead, but only if you're comfortable with it. I think I would like the idea of falling asleep in your arms every night."

Erik was sure he had just been stabbed in the heart in the most pleasant of ways. He had to agree with Christine that falling asleep next to her every night would be wonderful. "I don't know about that, Christine, this bed is kind of small," the sarcasm in his voice was evident.

It was dark, but she still smiled at him. They looked at each other for a few moments until Erik gathered her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

She had never been inside of his room and he had always kept the door closed. Her eyes strained in the dark to make out her new surroundings. There was a large king-sized bed in the middle of the room with a red comforter and several gray pillows on it. It was hard to tell, but Christine concluded that the walls were gray. She could make out the silhouette of a piano that was sat in front of the large windows on the right wall of his room. On the opposite wall there was a large dresser and a door which she presumed led to the master bathroom.

He walked over to the bed with Christine still in his arms and sat down before placing her on the other side. He pulled the covers out and Christine quickly scrambled underneath. The sight of his small Christine in his enormous bed was enough to send his heart through his chest. He followed suit and pulled her in close to him. There was enough room for both of them to have plenty of space to themselves, but they were stuck to each other.

"I guess I could get used to this," Erik told Christine as he brushed the hair out of her eyes after joining her beneath the covers.

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "So can I," she answered before laying her head on his chest and slowly drifting off to sleep.

They spent the following day moving all of Christine's belongings into Erik's room.


	8. Chapter 8

Christine's eyes slowly fluttered open as she became aware of the light that was filtering into the room from behind the closed shades. She rolled over and took note of Erik's still figure lying next to her. They had been sharing a bed for almost two weeks and the joy she felt when realizing Erik was next to her every morning still hadn't worn off. While reaching her hand out to rest on his chest, she noticed that his eyes were already open and he was staring blankly at the ceiling. Erik quickly reached over to his night stand where his mask was and placed it onto his face upon seeing that Christine was awake. She had convinced him to take it off while he slept next to her, but putting it back on was always the first thing he did every morning.

"Good morning, sunshine," Christine said as Erik placed an arm around her and pulled her closer.

He closed his eyes and sighed into her hair before kissing her head. "I'm more like a storm cloud today," he told Christine as he looked back up at the ceiling. They had to pick his mother up from the airport later in the day, and Erik was startled awake several hours ago upon the subconscious realization. He was unable to fall back asleep while he was trying to fight off his nervous thoughts.

Christine was well aware of how nervous Erik was about his mother visiting. When they had gotten the spare bedroom ready, he was bustling around making sure everything was perfectly in place. When they went grocery shopping to stock up on food, he was extremely picky in making sure that everything was the best of quality. Erik's mother had been told by her doctor that her cholesterol was rising and she needed to keep it in check. Knowing this, Erik made sure to buy all the right foods so he wouldn't be blamed for any potential medical problems.

"Well if you're going to be a storm cloud, then I'm going to try my hardest to make your skies blue." She picked her head up and kissed behind his ear, then along his jaw, and finally his lips.

Erik let out a satisfied sigh when their kiss ended. "Do we really have to get out of bed?" He looked at her with pleading eyes and puffed his lower lip out a little.

"Yes, we do!" Christine said, even though she would rather spend all day in bed with Erik. She got out from under the covers and playfully jumped on him, straddling his legs in the process. "Get up, you big lug." Erik's eyes were about to pop out of his head, but Christine still pulled him up into a sitting position.

After the initial shock of being straddled by Christine had subsided, Erik smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss. Christine smiled happily and got off of Erik and the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Erik slammed his body back against the bed and covered his face with his hands before finally getting up.

Erik saw his mother's suitcase come around on the baggage conveyor before he actually saw his mother. He quickly pulled it off of the conveyor, knowing that she would complain about having to retrieve it herself.

Christine was standing next to him near the baggage claim. She was unsure of what to expect upon meeting Erik's mother, but she could practically feel the nerves radiating off of him. He had told her little things about her, mostly of how she was never satisfied with anything that he did even though he was in charge of one of the most successful theatres in the city. Christine looked up to see Erik's eyes frantically searching through the newest crowd that was exiting the terminal. She reached over and grabbed his hand, which was unnaturally clammy, and he gave it a quick squeeze before letting it fall.

Erik's stomach twisted into a knot when he finally spotted his mother through the crowd. Her pride was too full to wear comfortable clothes on a seven hour flight, and she was wearing a knee-length blue dress with tights and heels that matched her dress. Her carry-on bag was on one shoulder, and she was walking toward them with her chin pointed toward the ceiling. Christine could see Erik's fingers twitching rapidly out of the corner of her eye.

"Hello mother," Erik greeted her as he lifted up her suitcase so she could see he had gotten it for her. "How was your flight?"

"Dismal," she snapped back, giving Erik a once over.

Erik cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. He put his hand on the small of Christine's back and pulled her a little closer "Christine, I'd like you to meet Lucille Destler."

Christine smiled sweetly and offered her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Destler."

She looked Christine up and down before giving a half-smile and shaking her hand. "Lucille will do, dear. My, what a pretty thing you are. I'm curious to know how you've found yourself keeping the company of my son."

"It's quite a long story, actually," Christine said with a light laugh. "Erik has been very kind to me."

At the mention of Erik, Lucille walked in between her son and Christine without a second glance. "I'm very surprised. You can tell me in the car then."

Christine gave Erik a reassuring glance and took his hand, pulling him after Lucille.

It had snowed almost every day since Lucille arrived in New York. A little more than an inch had fallen daily, and everyone was looking forward to having a white Christmas.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Erik still had to do some last minute wrapping. Although he wasn't one for procrastination, he had been busy catering to his mother's every need along with trying not to mentally explode. While Christine was in the shower, Erik hurriedly wrapped the few presents he had left.

He and Christine had agreed to give each other one present on Christmas morning before they had to open presents with Lucille. Both of them wanted their first Christmas together to be special, and neither wanted Lucille to get in the way of that. As he began to wrap a small box containing the necklace he had gotten Christine, he found himself completely transfixed by the sound coming from inside the bathroom.

Christine happened to be singing a simple Christmas song, but Erik's ears couldn't help but block out everything else that wasn't Christine's voice. He had never heard her sing until now, and he was aware that she was probably not trying very hard, but he was still in awe nonetheless. After she had finished singing and turned the water off, Erik quickly gathered all of his presents to put them under the tree. He had made a last-minute decision not to give Christine the necklace first thing tomorrow; he had a better idea in mind now.

Erik and Christine spent the better part of the day cooking dinner for their guests later; Lucille had watched from the dining room while giving unnecessary critiques on Erik's every move. Erik quickly corrected himself without saying a word and only Christine could see the look of misery that was on his face.

In an attempt to lighten Erik's sour mood, Christine turned on some Christmas music and began dancing around the kitchen while they finished cooking. She had done this before, and Erik would join in when the right song came on, but he wasn't budging today. He had been trying to ignore her so he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of his mother but he could tell Christine really wanted him to join her. Christine approached Erik once more and he quickly grabbed her hand and spun her. He pulled her closer and danced with her for a few seconds, before dipping her nearly to the floor and then returning to his cooking.

Neither of them could see it, but Lucille quickly let a small smile reach the corners of her lips.

Meg and Andrew were the first to arrive later in the day. Christine was setting the table, so Erik answered the door and couldn't even get out a greeting before he found himself enveloped in a hug from Meg. Andrew was standing behind her with a huge smile on his face; in one hand he was holding a tote bag filled with presents, and in the other he had a pan of food.

"Hello to you, too, Meg," Erik laughed as she pulled away from him.

"Merry almost Christmas!" Meg answered back before walking into the apartment. Erik took the bag of presents from Andrew and shook his hand before placing them underneath the Christmas tree.

Christine emerged from the dining room at the sound of her friend's voice and rushed toward Meg and Andrew, hugging them both. "I'm so glad both of you are here," she told them as Lucille came out of the kitchen.

"Lucille," Christine exclaimed as she brought Meg and Andrew over to her. "This is my very good friend, Meg Giry, and her wonderful fiancé, Andrew Hallorand."

Lucille smiled at the couple and shook both of their hands. "It's wonderful to meet both of you. Congratulations on your engagement."

Christine left Meg and Andrew with Lucille and met Erik in the kitchen. He was trying to busy himself, but Christine could tell that he wasn't actually accomplishing anything. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. "Looking for something?"

Erik's body relaxed at the feeling of Christine's arms around him and turned around so he could return the favor. "Not particularly, just trying to tidy things up."

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she began to trace her fingers up and down his chest.

"For now," he answered with a sigh. "The worst part of all of this is seeing her interact with everyone. She treats everyone normally, but she treats me like I have the plague. It'll be over soon, though, and I'm glad I have you here with me." A half-smile formed on his face as he looked down at Christine.

She reached up and kissed him. She could feel his body tense up again and then relax even more under her hands. He let the kiss continue until they both heard the sound of small feet padding toward the kitchen. They broke apart just in time to see Nadir's daughter, Cyra, running into the kitchen.

"Erik!" She squealed as she bounced over to him with her arms in the air. She was still a small thing, only five years old, and when she reached Erik he picked her up and lifted her well over his head. She exploded into a fit of giggles until he held her on his hip.

"Cyra, this is my very special friend, Christine," Erik told her as he turned so Cyra could see her.

Christine couldn't help but grin at the sight of Erik with Cyra. The way he held her and looked at her with so much wonderment in his eyes, and the same way she would look back at him. "Hello Cyra," Christine smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

Cyra happily took Christine's hand and shook it up and down. She gave Erik a look and turned to Christine and whispered "Do you guys like each other?"

Erik pretended not to hear, but he looked at Christine and was trying not to laugh.

Playing along, Christine whispered back, "Well I really like him. In fact, I think Erik is pretty cute. Do you think he likes me?"

Cyra nodded several times and then turned to Erik, who was looking around the room and whistling pretending not to pay attention. "He's very handsome," she said as she reached up and touched the unmasked side of Erik's face. He closed his eyes and smiled.

The three of them left the kitchen and walked into the living room to find everyone, including Nadir and his wife, Akira, sitting in the living room talking. "I'm so glad all of you could make it," Erik told them after he had put Cyra on the ground.

"Don't bother introducing everyone, I already have" Lucille interrupted.

No one seemed to mind what Lucille had said, but Erik felt he had been stabbed in the heart. Yet again he hadn't even been able to meet his mother's expectations in his own home. He shook it off after a few seconds and spoke again, "How about we have dinner, then, since everyone has been situated?"

Everyone followed Erik and Christine into the dining room, and Andrew helped them bring the food out from the kitchen. When they finished, Cyra was sitting next to Erik's mother and she patted the seat next to her, wanting him to sit on her other side.

Erik didn't seem too bothered during the meal, but Christine would notice his hand begin to twitch every now and again. It was usually caused by his mother helping Cyra reach something or when she would help her cut her food. Christine was thankful that Lucille hadn't noticed Erik's twitching, otherwise she surely would have said something about it to make him feel even worse.

When they had all finished eating, everyone returned to the living room in a sleepy, food-stricken haze. Cyra was the only one with any semblance of energy left and she was tugging at Nadir's hand, pleading to start opening gifts. Being the only child in the room, and absolutely adored by everyone there, she got her way.

Lucille passed out her presents first. The group had decided to each get one thing for each couple, and one thing for both Lucille and Cyra. She had given Andrew and Meg a white photo album for them to put their wedding photos in when the time came; she gave Nadir and Akira a quilt that she had bought in France, and she gave Cyra a dress exactly like Cinderella's.

Erik knew the worst part of the night was almost over – watching his mother being generous to other people. When Cyra opened her present, she happily bounded over to Lucille and gave her a hug. Lucille laughed happily and hugged her back without a second thought. A lump began to form in Erik's throat and he thought he wasn't going to be able to suppress it. He was doing well fighting it off until Cyra told Lucille that she loved her, and Lucille returned the sentiment.

Christine noticed both of Erik's hands clench into fists just before he sprang out of his seat next to her. "I-I've," he stammered, "Forgotten something. Excuse me."

Meg gave Christine a confused look as Erik quickly walked into his room and shut the door. Attempting to make the situation less awkward, Christine followed him. "I know exactly what he's looking for, we'll be right back. Go ahead and continue without us."

She walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. She could hear Erik's quiet sobs from where he was sitting, with his head in his hands, on the ottoman at the end of the bed. Sitting down next to him, she started rubbing his back until he calmed down.

Not needing to give an explanation as to what was wrong he said, "She's never said that to me. Not once in my entire life has my mother told me she loves me."

Christine felt as if her heart was going to explode from both sadness and pity. "Erik, I'm sure she does. Some people just have different ways of expressing their love." She gently reached up to his face and wiped his tears away, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the feeling of her skin against his.

He sighed and pulled Christine into a hug. "How are we supposed to go back out there without this being awkward?"

"Here," Christine said as she rushed over to her purse and pulled out a deck of cards. "Give this to Cyra as a present and teach her a card trick. She'll love it."

Erik smiled and put the deck of cards into his pocket before kissing Christine on the cheek and returning to the living room.

It turned out that Cyra did love the deck of cards, and she wouldn't stop showing everyone the new magic trick she learned. The trick consisted of someone pulling a card and putting it back, Cyra slapping the deck with one hand and pulling the top card, which the victim _always_ agreed was their card even if it wasn't. After they had finished opening presents, Cyra had fallen asleep on Erik's lap and everyone decided it was time to call it a night. They all bid each other a Merry Christmas, and Lucille retreated to her room and left Christine and Erik to clean up after everyone.

Erik had begun putting wrapping paper and other things into a trash bag while Christine was putting the dishes into the dishwasher in the kitchen. He had finished far before she had, and he picked up the last of the dishes from the table and brought them into the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen humming the same song they were listening to while they cooked earlier in the day and once he had put the dishes into the dishwasher he offered Christine his hand.

Christine was smiling at him from the moment he walked into the kitchen but was unsure of what he was trying to do. She took his hand and he pulled her toward him and put his other hand on the small of her back. He continued to hum the simple tune as he danced with Christine around the kitchen. When they finished, Christine placed both of her hands around his neck and tugged his head down so she could kiss him. She could feel him smile against her lips, and she couldn't help but do the same.

"You know what the best part is about this Christmas?" she asked him as they got into bed.

"What?" Erik asked, turning the lights out and pulling Christine closer to him.

Christine smiled as she put her head against Erik's chest. "Being able to have someone to talk to when I can't sleep. I can never fall asleep on Christmas Eve."

Erik kissed her forehead and continued to hold her while they talked until both of them drifted off to sleep.

Christine surprisingly woke up before Erik had on Christmas morning. She grabbed her pillow and excitedly walked over to the windows before opening them to expose the snow-covered city skyline. Erik stirred behind her, and she gave him a few seconds to put his mask on before she jumped onto the bed and playfully hit him with her pillow. "Merry Christmas!" she nearly shouted at him.

Erik pushed the covers away and got up on his knees with his pillow in hand. Christine kept swatting away at him with her pillow and all Erik did was use his to block her. After a few minutes, he put his pillow down and dove in the direction of Christine. He caught her by the hips and gently moved her so she was on her back and he was now lying next to her on his side. He leaned down to give her a kiss before pulling away. "Merry Christmas, my Christine."

Christine smirked up at him and pulled him down by his shirt so they could kiss again. This one lasted much longer, and by the time they were finished Erik was holding onto Christine so tightly that it almost hurt. She wasn't going to complain, though, it was an exhilarating kind of pain.

"It's present time!" she said excitedly as she reached under the bed to pull her present out. Both of them got back under the covers upon realizing how cold it was.

Erik had one arm around Christine's shoulders, and he used that arm minimally along with his other to open her present to him. After tearing away the paper, he was met with a picture of him and Christine surrounded by a natural wood picture frame. The picture she had chosen was one of the ones they had taken on their first date; Erik had picked Christine up in his arms in the picture, and they were both looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Christine," Erik started as he looked fondly at the picture. "I love it."

She returned his smile and kissed his nose. "I figured you needed a picture of the two of us to put up somewhere. It'll make this place feel more like home."

He pulled her in closer, "Christine, as long as you're with me, anywhere could be my home. This was my home, but now it's _our_ home; this is our bedroom, that's our kitchen, there's our bathroom. This place is yours as much as it is mine, and you've made it homier just by being here."

Christine felt a warmth spread throughout her body, starting at her heart. She couldn't find the right words to say back to Erik, so instead she kissed him several times.

"Your present wasn't something I could wrap, unfortunately, but there's some other ones under the tree that you can tear open later," he said with a smile. "I couldn't help but overhear you singing yesterday, but I had no idea you had such a wonderful voice. I know you've been growing restless without a job, so I asked a friend of mine who happens to be the owner of the restaurant we went to if he could do us a favor. He agreed to let you sing there twice a week when they have live music. I'll give you music lessons as often as you want them."

Christine's eyes continue to widen as Erik explained to her his very detailed present. She couldn't believe that she would be able to sing again, and she was elated to be able to have something to do with all of her free time. "Erik, I can't even begin to tell you how much that means to me," she told him as she tried to fight the tears threatening her eyes. "I'm going to need quite a few lessons before I start, though. I'm a bit rusty."

"Nonsense," he told her as he placed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You sounded wonderful yesterday, all you need is a bit of practice and a little touching up here and there."

"Thank you," she told him sincerely as she kissed him once more.

"You know," he began, "My mother won't be awake for another hour."

Christine sat up and started to get out of their bed. "We should probably start making breakfast, then."

Erik smiled at Christine's offering, but instead lightly placed his hand around her arm to stop her. She turned and looked at him as he said, "We've got some time, darling. I'd rather lay here with here with you. Come back over here."

Christine happily got back into bed and cuddled herself close to Erik. They stayed like that, telling each other sweet-nothings, until they heard Lucille bustling around outside. With a sigh, they both got up and walked into the living room, equally feeling on top of the world.


	9. Chapter 9

"No, everything is perfect," Erik told Christine as she collapsed next to him on the piano bench. "You're just transitioning into your head voice a little early so your air isn't focused in the right spot."

Erik had been giving Christine singing lessons for the past three months, and tomorrow night was her first performance at the restaurant. Her singing had rapidly improved in just three months time, but there was one song that was still giving her trouble. All of their friends were coming to see Christine sing tomorrow and she didn't want to mess up in front of them. Even worse, she didn't want to mess up while Erik was watching.

He began to play the part that was giving her trouble on the piano while he hummed along. He conducted himself with one hand and used it to show Christine exactly where she needed to transition into her head voice. Erik insisted on not singing the parts himself because he wanted her to actually learn her songs and not copy them from someone else. Even if she couldn't hear how she was supposed to sound, Erik always told her which emotions to use and he helped her insert them into the music. Even so, she still could not get past this speed bump.

She rested her head on Erik's shoulder as he replayed the part again. When he was done he shrugged the shoulder she was leaning on, wordlessly telling her to try it again. Christine stood up and faced Erik at the piano. They locked eyes as he began playing. Looking into Erik's eyes always helped Christine to focus while she was singing; they usually never broke eye contact during a lesson.

Unfortunately, looking into Erik's eyes could be a bit of a distraction if she wasn't in the right mindset. She got lost in his golden eyes and completely missed the part she had been intending to improve. Erik sighed and stopped playing as he looked at Christine with a face of concern.

"I'm never going to be able to sing this one. Maybe we should just cut it," she suggested as she began to rub her forehead with one hand. "I just can't get it right."

His face of concern turned into one of determination. "You can, Christine. Listen to me."

He began playing again, and when it came time for the lyrics Erik actually opened his mouth and sang. He kept his eyes on Christine's, and even as he noticed her jaw drop in amazement he continued to sing. Erik easily sang through the part that was giving Christine trouble, and when he finished she nodded at him to tell him she wanted to try it again.

Christine had never heard a voice as beautiful as Erik's. His voice powerfully soared through the silent room and filled every corner of it. Hearing his singing voice for the first time both stupefied and motivated her. She took a deep breath and was prepared to try again. She sang perfectly through the song and when she reached the trouble spot she completely nailed it.

A huge smile spread across Erik's face but he kept playing. Christine closed her eyes in triumph and finished the song perfectly, pouring every emotion into it. Erik sprang up from the piano bench, knocking it over, as he ran over to Christine and lifted her up by her waist. He spun her around several times until reaching their bed which both of them fell onto. Christine couldn't stop laughing and Erik couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm so proud of you," he said as he pulled her into a hug. He knew they probably should practice the song one more time, but he figured Christine needed a little break.

Christine smiled and hugged him back. "I've only gotten this good because of you, you know," she told him as she touched her finger to his nose. .

Erik shook his head in protest, the smile not once leaving his face. "You've been capable of this all along. All you needed was a little encouragement."

She narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. Even when she was in her prime during college she was never this good of a singer. "I think I need a little more encouragement," she told him with a flirting look in her eyes.

Picking up on the hint, Erik placed one hand on the back of Christine's neck and the other on the small of her back, pulling her body as close to his as possible. He had a hungry look in his eyes that Christine had not yet seen from him, but she was only able to take it in for a few seconds before his lips were pressed against hers.

Erik let his mind wander until he snapped back to reality and realized what day it was. "Maybe we should do it once more for good luck," he suggested after they had pulled apart.

Christine smiled at him and kissed him again, this one not lasting as long.

"That's not the response I was expecting, but I'm certainly glad it's the one I received," he said with a smile. "I meant the song. Are you ready to sing it again?"

Christine stared at him intently for a few moments, and he could tell there was something on her mind. "How come you don't sing more often?" She asked him, completely catching him off guard. "You have a lovely voice."

Erik became a little flustered and a light shade of pink reached the tips of his pale cheeks. "I don't know, singing has always been kind of a private thing for me. Ever since I've started running the opera house I just haven't had the time or the reason to."

"I'll make you a deal, then," Christine said as she sat up on the bed and Erik followed suit. "I'll sing this song again for you, and I'll do it right, and then you can sing for me tonight before we go to bed."

Erik raised an eyebrow at her. "You essentially want me to sing you to sleep?"

She nodded in response. "Yes. You always hum me something when I'm having trouble falling asleep and it helps. I can only imagine what falling asleep to your voice would be like."

He couldn't help but smile as his heart beat with pride. The only times he was able to sing was when Christine wasn't around; sometimes he would sing in his office, other times when she was out with Meg. He was aware of how good he was, and he was aware that Christine was trying to get better, and he didn't want to discourage her with his own singing. He was glad that Christine actually wanted to listen to him.

"We have a deal," Erik said as he stuck out his hand for Christine to shake.

She took his hand and shook it up and down several times, causing Erik to laugh. Christine pulled him off the bed and took her spot back in front of the piano. She made her way through the song easily and succeeded once more through the area that was giving her trouble. Erik had to fight away the smile that was torturing his lips in fear that it would distract her.

Later that night when they got into bed, Christine didn't even need to remind Erik of their deal. He had taken her into his arms and once they had settled down and gotten comfortable he began singing something in French. She had no idea what he was singing, but she loved every second of it. The words fell from his tongue with such grace that Christine quickly noticed her eyes beginning to close. She was enjoying his voice too much and fought to keep them opened.

Erik paused his song and pulled her closer, whispering in her ear. "Go to sleep, my Christine. I'm not going anywhere."

He continued singing and Christine let her eyelids fall to the sound of her Erik's voice.

Christine looked out from the wings of the small stage in the restaurant. The crowd was nothing to be afraid of, just several people quietly chatting while enjoying a meal, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. Sure, she was excited to be singing again, but it had been a while since she had sung in front of a crowd. She let her eyes pan across the dining room once more until they settled on the table where her friends were seated.

Meg and Andrew were on one side with Nadir and Akira on the other. From what Christine could see, Andrew was telling a very animated story which seemed to hold everyone's attention except Erik's. Erik was sitting at the end of the table so he could have a perfect view of the stage without having to turn his head. Cyra was sitting on his lap, engrossed in Andrew's story, and Erik was using his free hand to drum his fingers on his leg. Christine could tell he was just as nervous as she was.

She reached for her phone and pulled up Erik's number before sending him a text.

_I think I need a little bit of encouragement._

She looked back out into the crowd and watched Erik pull his phone out and read her message a few moments later. A half-smile stretched across his face as he put his phone back in his pocket. He stood up and placed Cyra on his empty seat and made his way to the backstage area. Christine waited in her dressing room, if it could even be called a dressing room. It was a make-shift thing, four curtains hanging from the ceiling which closed in on a small makeup table.

After a few minutes she heard Erik clear his throat from outside of the dressing room, announcing his presence. Without bothering to part the curtains, Christine reached her hand outside until she found Erik's chest and pulled him into the dressing room by his shirt. Erik immediately wrapped his arms around Christine's waist and pushed his lips against hers. He knew she was feeling nervous, but he also knew how to clear her mind.

When they pulled apart, Erik kept his head at the level of Christine's and pressed his forehead to hers. "You rang?"

"I feel like I'm going to collapse into a shaking pile of nerves," Christine sighed.

Erik pulled away from her and slid his hands around hers. He could feel her shaking slightly and he knew she wasn't lying. Her hands may have been shaking but there was a familiar glimmer in her eye that was present just before she was about to sing. "Are you sure you're not mistaking your nerves for excitement?" He asked as he began to rub his thumb along her hand. "I know you're shaking but I can see the anticipation in your eyes."

Christine smiled up at him and squeezed his hands a little tighter. "I guess I am a little excited. It's been so long since I've performed in front of people, especially more than one person." She looked up at him with a fondness strong enough to make Erik's heart melt as she thought about all of their music lessons. Of all the times Christine became frustrated at a particular piece while Erik remained calm and helped her work through it. Of watching Erik's fingers dance perfectly across the keys of the piano while he closed his eyes and let his face express the emotions of the music he so enjoyed getting lost in. Of the look of pride that burned in his eyes every time Christine would finish a phrase perfectly.

"Use that excitement then," he said, shaking her hands a little in the process. "Turn that excitement into music, let it take hold of you and your voice will do the rest."

Christine smiled lightly and nodded her response. She knew Erik was right, and he did have more experience with this kind of thing than she did, so she trusted his judgment.

He glanced down at his watch and noticed that Christine would be due on stage in five minutes. He wanted to give her some time to herself to focus before she took the stage. In one swift motion he pulled her into his arms again. His lips found hers easily and he kissed her quickly before hugging her. He kissed behind her ear and whispered, ever so gently, "You look gorgeous tonight, my Christine," before kissing her cheek and leaving her dressing room.

Feeling breathless and confident, Christine sat down at the small make up table and began doing some breathing exercises. Her voice was already warmed up but she wanted to focus herself. After completing a few exercises she emerged from the dressing room when she heard the restaurant manager walk by. Along with being the manager she also announced all of the musical acts when they performed. Christine followed her onto the stage and waited in the wings as her introduction was being done.

The patrons began to clap as the introduction was finished and Christine walked on stage in front of the small band. She searched the audience and smiled while she let her performing side take over. She noticed the table where her friends were seated; Meg and Andrew were clapping with huge smiles on their faces, Nadir and Akira were clapping as well but were acting a little more reserved than the young couple. Erik's face held the biggest smile of them all as his hands repeatedly rushed toward each other with Cyra in his lap again. Christine wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear his applause over everyone else's.

Throughout Christine's set she grew more comfortable in her place on the stage. There was always applause after each song, even if most of the patrons were paying more attention to their food. Some would look up fondly every once in a while, a few were paying attention, but most were more focused on their food or the conversations happening at their table. Christine's friends made sure to pay attention while she was singing, but every once in a while someone would start a short-lived conversation at the table.

The only person who was completely enthralled with Christine's performance was Erik. Christine was sure his eyes hadn't left her since the moment she set foot on stage; even when she wasn't looking in his direction she could feel them watching her, warming her body with affection as they did. Even from far away she could notice the adoration in his eyes. When someone at the table would say something to Erik, he would respond shortly but he never once broke his gaze with Christine.

Halfway through her set, her stomach began to turn when she realized the next song was the one she had only just perfected last night. Erik was aware that the song was coming, and he looked into Christine's eyes despite the distance between them. Christine closed her eyes for a few moments and tried to imagine that Erik was the one playing the piano. When she opened them, she locked her eyes on his and began to sing. Ignoring the feeling in her stomach, she let her voice do the work and soared through the entire song. She wasn't sure, but she thought Erik's smile was a little bigger and his applause was a little louder at the end of that one.

When she was finished, she was met with a thunderous amount of applause that she certainly did not expect. Of course the table she had been eyeing the whole night was all on their feet. Erik was clapping frantically again and she could see Cyra's little head bouncing up and down as she stood next to him. She took one final bow and disappeared offstage to go to her dressing room.

Erik excused himself from the table once more and went to meet Christine. He knew it was unplanned, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing her up on the small stage of a dimly lit restaurant was an experience within itself. Having known Christine's feeling before the performance and watching her perfect every song made the experience even more intimate. His mind wandered back to the flustered look that settled on her face whenever she struggled with a song. He remembered the pleading but attentive look in her eyes when he would help her work through it. He remembered celebrating with her each time she excelled at something, all in the privacy of their bedroom at the piano.

He strode in the direction of her dressing room with a confidence he had never possessed in all of his life. Christine was truly remarkable and his heart couldn't stop pounding. He was unfamiliar with this feeling but he let it take its course as he flew into her dressing room and lifted her up and spun her around just as he had the previous night. The smile that was on Christine's face when she left the stage had not yet departed from her lips, and it became even bigger when she saw Erik.

When he put her back on the ground he took her face in his hands and began giving her quick kisses. "You were amazing," he exclaimed as he kissed her a few more times. "I am so proud of you."

The blush on Christine's face began to deepen with each kiss Erik gave her. The last one was the longest, and they both let their lips move into the others with all of the words they were longing to say. She hugged him before pulling away and saying "Thank you. It was for you." She had a smile on her face and love in her eyes. "When I was up there it felt like you were the only one in the audience. It felt like you were the only one that mattered. You are the only one that matters."

Erik's heart began to thump against his chest even harder. He noticed tears of joy beginning to well in Christine's eyes and he caressed the side of his face with his hand. His lip was trembling, but he didn't let it phase him. He couldn't find the words that he wanted to say, so he kissed her again.

"Erik, I-," Christine said when she found time to breathe, but she was interrupted with another kiss. "Erik, I love you," she said when the kisses paused again. She hadn't moved away from him, and her lips brushed against his when she said it.

He pulled Christine even closer and kissed her urgently as the tears began to fall from his eyes. He had heard the phrase so many times in his lifetime, but it had never once been directed at him. No one had ever found the kindness in their heart to say it to him, and finally someone had. His Christine had. His perfect, confident, beautiful, thoughtful Christine.

When the kiss ended she kept the small space between them. Erik's hands were at the small of her back and hers were on his chest. She let one of her hands reach up to wipe away the tears that were streaking down the unmasked side of Erik's face. "You have helped me change my life for the better, and I've finally found the right words to use that will express my gratitude. I love that we live together, I love that we've been able to share so many experiences together, but most importantly I love you."

Hearing those words again caused even more tears to fall from Erik's eyes. He was trying so hard to suppress the powerful sobs that wanted to fall from his mouth. Instead the tears continued and he tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. "You're the only person in my life who has ever showed me constant kindness. You are the only person who didn't scamper away at the sight of my uncovered face. Christine," he sighed as he kissed the inside of her palm. "My life has been a much brighter place ever since you entered it. I love you, too."

Christine smiled as their lips met again. She had never felt such a rush saying those words as she did when saying them to Erik. She was well aware of the power the words held, and she knew she was ready to use them.

After both of them calmed down enough, they walked out of the dressing room, hand in hand, to celebrate with their friends.

Hey guys! Thanks again for all of the lovely reviews and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going on vacation from this Friday to next Friday so I won't be posting in that time period. When I get back you can all expect a new chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! I apologize for this update taking so long. I was on vacation and I worked a lot this past week so I didn't have much time to write. There's probably going to be two or three more chapters after this one. After this I may write a sequel, or something completely different. Either way, I'll still be writing after this is over, and I thank you guys so much for reading!

Fourteen months had passed since Christine first started her singing job. She had quickly become the most popular performer at the restaurant, and some people had come just to see her. Erik, of course, was at every single performance. Her lessons with Erik continued throughout this time. She liked to bring new music into her act every other month and Erik would always pick out the perfect pieces for her.

Now that Christine had a steady job and could keep busy with her news songs and the friends she had made at the restaurant, Erik was able to give more attention to his own work at the theater. He even let Christine sing in some of the ensembles when a member was sick. Nadir was thrilled to have Erik's efforts back, even though he still made Nadir do most of the work. The theater was becoming even more popular and the demand for new and diverse acts was growing rapidly.

Along with both of their careers, Christine and Erik's relationship was blossoming as well. Christine has learned how to accommodate Erik's peculiar sleeping and eating habits. He still didn't sleep a lot, but he patiently laid in bed throughout the night so Christine would have something to hold on to. He became more comfortable with physical affection, and he was close to being comfortable being around Christine with his mask off.

It was finally the day of Meg and Andrew's wedding, and Christine, along with the other two bridesmaids who were Meg's coworkers, were busy getting ready in the hotel in New Jersey. When they arrived yesterday, Christine volunteered to stay overnight with Meg in the suite her and Andrew would be staying in on their wedding night. Andrew, on the other hand, had taken Christine's spot in her and Erik's hotel room where all of the groomsmen were currently getting ready.

All of the girls had gone to a spa earlier in the day to get their hair and nails done, and now they were back at the hotel doing their make-up. Once Christine, Audrey, and Leah had finished their own make-up they all helped Meg finish hers.

When they had finished there was still about an hour to spare until they had to leave for the wedding which was being held at a chapel on the Hudson River. The reception was going to be outside on the lawn. Even though Christine could have gone downstairs to see Erik, whom she had barely seen since they arrived in New Jersey, she chose to stay with Meg. The bride's nerves were starting to get the best of her.

Meg disappeared into the bedroom and Christine elected to follow her. She found her sitting on the king sized bed, staring out the window. "Everything okay, Meg?" Christine asked as she sat down next to her.

"Yes, I'm just nervous. I don't know why," she said with a sigh. "I think I'm excited but I can't tell the difference. I just want to get the whole wedding thing over with."

Christine linked her arm through Meg's. "Today is supposed to be the best day of your life. You're about to marry your best friend in the whole world, there's nothing to be nervous about."

Meg carefully leaned her head against Christine's shoulder. "What if I trip? What if my dress rips? What if Andrew doesn't show up like in Sex and the City?"

"He's going to show up, Meg," Christine laughed. "I'm pretty sure if he had any intention of now showing up, Erik would drag him there by the collar of his suit."

Just as Christine finished talking, her phone vibrated on the bed and startled Meg. Christine picked it up and read a text message that Erik sent her.

_Hello my love. I hope everything is going much smoother than what we're dealing with down here. Andrew is a nervous wreck. He's had three shots already and he hasn't stopped pacing for the last half hour._

Christine smiled down at her phone as she read Erik's message. Meg was craning her neck to read it but Christine moved it away before she got the chance. "Get out of here, nosy," Christine said playfully. "If you must know, your soon-to-be husband is just as nervous as you are."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Meg said with a little less nervousness in her voice.

Christine smiled at her friend and then texted Erik back. _Meg is pretty nervous too, but we haven't let her near the liquor yet. I can't wait to see you._

A few minutes passed and Christine had managed to calm Meg down enough to the point where she was cheerful again. Christine's phone went off once more and she had gotten a selfie of Erik and Andrew. Andrew was covering his face with his hands so Meg wouldn't be able to see him, but Erik was smiling at the camera. He wasn't wearing his suit coat yet, just the light pink vest that matched the bridesmaid's dresses and the blue tie that matched the flowers. Andrew was already fully dressed but his hair was clearly disheveled, probably from pulling at it too much because of his nerves.

_We can't wait to see both of you._ Was attached to the picture.

Christine showed Meg the picture and they both laughed at their significant others. They decided to send one back and posed just as the boys had, Christine was smiling and Meg was covering her face.

After they sent the picture they realized they had twenty minutes before they were supposed to leave. The boys were leaving in a couple minutes so they could be able to take their places first. The girls put on their bridesmaid dresses so the photographer could take some final pictures of them all getting ready.

The dresses were light pink with a beaded neck line. They were sleeveless and went down just above the knee. It was May, after all, and it was starting to get warm out. Once they had all gotten into their dresses they helped Meg get into hers.

Meg's dress was just as fabulous as her. It was sleeveless and had a sweetheart neckline with beads to match the bridesmaids. The dress was long and fell to the floor leaving a train of fabric behind. When Meg had finally gotten into the dress, she immediately began to radiate happiness and Christine could tell she was finally over her nerves and could start to be excited about marrying Andrew.

When they arrived at the Chapel all of the groomsmen were in the side room ready to walk down the aisle with their respective bridesmaids. Everyone fawned over how beautiful Meg looked and she seemed to be enjoying the spotlight. While everyone was paying attention to Meg, Christine and Erik finally got to have a moment to themselves. They stood toward the back of the room while everyone else was mingling.

Christine was leaning up against a wall and Erik's hand was resting against it. "I don't think I can find the right words to tell you how beautiful you look right now," he said as he put his free hand on her hip and moved closer toward her.

She could feel herself blushing. Even after being together for over a year, Erik was still capable of giving her butterflies. "You look as handsome as ever," she said back to him as she reached her face up to press her nose against his. All of the men were wearing gray suits with the light pink vests and blue tie. Andrew, who was already at the altar, was the only one wearing a bowtie.

Christine and Erik stayed like that for a few moments until they were startled apart by the sound of music playing from inside the chapel, indicating that they needed to get ready. The two of them rushed over to Meg to give her one last hug before making the procession. Erik was Andrew's best man so he was able to walk down the aisle with Christine, just before Meg would walk down the aisle with her mother.

Neither one of them were nervous. Walking arm in arm felt so natural, and the two of them smiled all the way down the aisle despite some of the strange glances they were receiving because of Erik's mask. They got to their respective places and turned to watch Meg walk down the aisle.

The second she made eye contact with Andrew, her entire face lit up. Christine could see Andrew's eyes start to tear up as he looked back at Meg with a huge smile on his face. The whole ceremony went smoothly, and every time Christine let her eyes wander past the happy couple, she always caught Erik staring at her. After a few times she realized that he wasn't even paying attention to the ceremony and he was only paying attention to her. She could feel her face blush even more in front of everyone. After Andrew and Meg had been pronounced husband and wife, Christine and Erik followed them down the aisle again.

"You know, I bet the next time we walk down an aisle like this you'll be wearing a white dress," Erik said into Christine's ear as they were about to reach the doors leading out of the chapel.

Christine had to try not to trip over her own feet when she heard the words come out of Erik's mouth. They had been dating for a while but they never talked about marriage before. It's not that she didn't want to, she just wasn't expecting Erik to be the one to bring it up.

"You really think that?" She asked him curiously.

He nodded back at her. They were now outside of the chapel standing behind Andrew and Meg as they were being congratulated by the wedding guests. "I think about it quite often, actually," he quietly told her as they watched the guests walk by and take their seats at the tables that were set up on the lawn. "I've been in love with you for what feels like so long, and I can't help but think about making you my wife."

Christine smiled up at him and pulled him closer to her. "I think that would make me very happy," she told him as she tried not to get choked up. Weddings made her emotional as is, but the thought of her own wedding with Erik made her even more emotional.

They stood behind Andrew and Meg until all of the guests were seated. The ones that knew Christine went up to her to say hello, and she introduced all of them to Erik. She could tell most of the guests were curious and confused about his mask, and she could feel him growing tense beside her.

Erik was relieved when they were finally able to sit down with the rest of the wedding party. He did notice some of the guests would stare at him for a little too long, and he was trying as hard as he could not to be phased by it. Out of habit, he began to nervously drum his fingers on his leg as he thought about the weird looks he would be receiving during his best man speech. He was able to calm down when he felt Christine place her hand on top of his.

Christine was the first to give her speech, and she quickly caught everyone's attention when she stood up. "Meg, I remember that day junior year of college when you first met Andrew. You burst into our room like you had just won the lottery. I didn't even need to ask what had gotten you all excited when you started telling me about the handsome guy who interviewed you after your dance recital. You were talking so loudly that I thought you were going to wake up the entire building," she recalled as Meg laughed next to her. "Well it turns out that Andrew wasn't interviewing you for any particular reason other than he thought you were cute," she added, causing everyone to laugh.

"I was there to witness your first date, your first fight, your first Christmas, and your first anniversary. Through your first vacation together, landing your first real jobs, and getting your first apartment, I have watched the love between the two of you grow to unimaginable levels. Through the good times and the bad times, the love you have for each other never once faded. Both of you have found your soulmate, someone who is there for you when you're at your lowest, and is still there to celebrate when you're on your feet again, someone who is willing to stay up all night with you when your face is stained with tears, and is also willing to stay up all night dancing to stupid songs on the radio with you. I couldn't think of a better person to have married my best friend. When my best friend started dating you, Andrew," Christine said as she turned to face the newlyweds, "I found another best friend in you. I love you both so much, and I wish you all the happiness and love in the world even though you already have it. I can't wait to be there for your firsts as husband and wife."

Andrew and Meg both got up to hug Christine and it took a few moments of teary-eyed hugging before the three of them sat back down. Christine sat down and gave Erik a reassuring smile before he stood up to give his own speech.

Christine's smile had been enough to distract him from the continuous curious glances that he was receiving from some of the guests. Erik cleared his throat and began. "I have only known the two of you for a short period of time, and when I officially met you both you were already engaged. Regardless of that, it was still very clear that you two had built a strong relationship upon a foundation of love, understanding, trust, and laughter. I had never met a couple who complemented each other so perfectly until the day I met you. It seems so often that couples have a more dominant individual, or one who is much different than the other. That is not the case with you, Meg and Andrew," Erik said with a smile. "The two of you have similar personalities that still manage to perfectly complement the other. When one of you comes to mind, I can't help but think of the other.

"I may not be able to recall old memories of the two of you falling in love, but I can recall recent memories of the two of you being in love, and continuing to fall for each other. I can see it in both of your eyes, every time you look at each other, that you're still falling even more in love. I can fondly remember the look on your faces each time you got to tell someone new that you were engaged. I can even recall the change of pitch in your voices when you got to refer to the other as your fiancé. The amount of love you have for each other is incredible, and I am so thankful to be here to witness you vow your love before all of us. You both have found something beautiful in this life. You've both found another person whom you wish to spend the rest of your life with," Erik said as he fondly glanced down at Christine for a split second. "I am glad to have been able to share this day with you both, and I am excited for many, many more. To Mr. and Mrs. Hallorand!" Erik said as he ended his speech by raising his glass of champagne while the rest of the guests followed suit.

Everyone helped themselves to food after the speeches were over, and shortly after that Meg and Andrew had their first dance together. The song they had picked was perfect for them because they were able to slow dance at certain parts, and dance goofily at others. After the mother-son dance and the mother-daughter dance, because Meg's father wasn't alive, the rest of the guests filtered onto the dance floor. Christine was able to get Erik up for the slow songs because he enjoyed being able to hold Christine, but he would always exit the dance floor when the fast paced songs came on.

Sure, Erik could dance, but he didn't need any more reason for people to be looking at him. Christine insisted that he have a drink or two, and once he felt more comfortable he had no problem being a complete idiot on the dance floor with Christine. He didn't even pay attention to the few guests who were still looking at him oddly because he was too transfixed by the smile that was plastered on Christine's face. She was convinced she had the best dance partner out of the entire group and she was having so much fun being able to dance with Erik in a place other than their kitchen.

Once the party had died down and everyone had left, Christine and Erik gave Meg and Andrew one last congratulations before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

"Did you really mean what you said earlier?" Christine asked Erik as she sat on the edge of the bed after taking her heels off. "About wanting to marry me?"

Erik was slightly caught off guard, but he figured Christine was going to bring it up again eventually. He didn't mind. "I meant every word of it."

Christine leaned into the forehead kiss Erik gave her when he sat down next to her. "Well I think it's something we should start talking about, then. I like the thought of being your wife."

Never in a million years had Erik thought someone would actually want to marry him. He had always thought about marriage, not with a specific person, and it always seemed like a fairy tale. With Christine he might have a chance at making his dreams a reality, and he had to fight back the tears that were forming as a result of Christine's comment. He wrapped Christine into a hug, "I think so, too," was all he could manage to get out.

After a few quiet moments Christine's head became filled with questions. "Would you want to have kids?"

He knew they were going to talk about all of this eventually, but he certainly didn't think Christine wanted to talk about it right now. He was clearly wrong. "I-I do," he said after thinking about it. "I just don't want them to…look like me." Erik averted his gaze from Christine and looked at the floor in embarrassment. "I don't want them to have to deal with the things that I do."

Christine's heart seemed to have broken. "We would make sure they wouldn't have to. I would love any child that we would have, and I know you would too regardless of what they looked like. Besides, I'm sure there are tests to see if your condition is genetic."

Erik sighed, he couldn't believe how sensitive Christine was being about this. "I guess I'm just nervous about that kind of thing."

"We can figure it out together, then. You're not alone in this, you never will be," she told him as she put her head on his shoulder. "Just imagine what our life would be like if we were married."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the dreaminess in Christine's voice. "I can't imagine it would be any different than it is now. Except by the time that happens my love for you will have at least tripled."

"I guess you're right," Christine laughed. "The only difference might be a couple of kids and a bigger place to live."

She got up off the bed and walked over to their suit case. They had only brought one because they were staying for one night. Erik watched her with a smile as she looked through the clothes and toiletries before pulling out her pajamas. She reached behind her back to try and find the zipper of her dress, but couldn't quite get it.

Erik was off of the bed and behind Christine in an instant. He placed a tender kiss on her shoulder before his fingers quickly found the zipper of her dress.


End file.
